The

TRISDEKAN PRIMER

Volume 2: Tours of Duty

Version 2.2 - Konigstein, 2017-2021
1
 Racketeer.........................................................66
Contents Scrounger ........................................................ 68
.......................................... 3 Table 3: Scrounger Grenades ................... 69
Volume 2: Tours of Duty ............................. 3 Signifier ........................................................... 70
A note on Playtesting .................................... 3 Commissar Advanced Specialties ................ 72
Acknowledgements ........................................ 3 Commissar-Captain .................................... 72
Patron Roll of Honour ................................. 3 Hero of the Imperium ................................ 74
Changelog ............................................................ 4 S-Company Commander ...........................75
New Regiment Creation Options ................. 8 Talents, Orders, Skills and Actions ............ 77
Homeworlds ..................................................... 8 New Skill ........................................................ 77
Regiment Types............................................ 11 New Talents .................................................. 77
Training and Equipment Doctrines ....... 12 Table 4: Tier 1 Talents ............................... 78
Regimental Drawbacks ............................... 15 Table 5: Tier 2 Talents ............................... 79
Regimental Archetypes ................................... 18 Table 6: Tier 3 Talents ............................... 80
Battle Honours .................................................. 23 Talent List....................................................... 81
Example Honours ....................................... 24 New Orders ................................................... 99
New Guardsman Specialty ............................ 27 New Combat Actions ................................ 101
Mount Training .............................................. 102
Artillery Spotter ........................................... 27
New Support Specialist Options ................. 29 Mount Personalities .................................. 102
Palfrey............................................................. 103
Junior Officer ............................................... 29
Courser .......................................................... 104
Sutler ................................................................. 31
Rouncey ......................................................... 105
Table 1: Sutler Ammunition ...................... 32
Destrier ......................................................... 106
Officer of the Fleet ...................................... 33
.............................. 107
New Advanced Specialty Options ............... 35
Air Controller ................................................ 35
Caravaneer ...................................................... 37
Dropmaster ..................................................... 39
Table 2: Materiel Drops ............................ 40
Innovator .........................................................41
Inquisitorial Agent .......................................43
Intruder ........................................................... 44
Long-Range Patroller ................................45
Master of Ordnance .................................... 46
Model Officer ............................................... 49
Old Guard ....................................................... 51
Paymaster ........................................................ 53
Psykana Haplotist ......................................... 55
Ways of the Haplotist ................................. 55
Psykana Savant .............................................. 60
Psykana Scholar ............................................ 62
Raider .............................................................. 64

2

Welcome to the Trisdekan Primer! This is a
(currently) 3-volume series of expansions to
Only War
roleplaying game.
The Primer aims to fill in many of the gaps
left in Only War
advanced options for many classes which
did not receive them, and provide a
plethora of rules and content to expand the
depth of any variety of campaign.
o be a
monolith- by using rules from one part of
the Primer
rules from all of them. The goal is to allow
you, the GM or player, to pick and choose
what you want or need to expand on your
campaign.
Happy campaigning!
-Konigstein, 2021
Volume 2: Tours of Duty
The second volume of the Primer works as
containing a huge variety of new options to
help you customize, upgrade, and
occasionally psychologically traumatize
your Guardsmen. It includes new
Specialties, dozens of new Talents, and an
elaborate new Mount training system to
add depth to playing cavalry regiments.
For details on Subsector Trisdeka and an
armoury, see volumes 1 and 3 of this series,
respectively.
3
A note on Playtesting
There is vastly more material in these
volumes than I could ever have time to
playtest- though most of it has been used in
a limited fashion at least once in a game or
two. If you feel that any of my rules are
broken or nonsensical, please drop me a
line at windowsfullofglass@gmail.com.
Acknowledgements
This document has been a labour of love,
means complete, and I hope to keep
tweaking it as I go. Special thanks are
absolutely in order to the good folks at
Roll for Heresy, Ordo Discordia, to the
ca/tg/irls and fa/tg/uys, to Swekky for
kickass playtesting, HMJ for the field
toilets, Messiahcide for his kickass
subsector map and work on the Chemical
damage, Akklonia for the art, and to the
good folks of Open Skies, Coffee and
Explosions, The Raid on Cadorna Peak, Pour
L'Empereur and Space Resistance! for inspiring
the documents that would become this one.
Fantasy Flight Ga
a wonderful series of TTRPGs. Really
sorry you lost the license.
If you like my work, and want to consider
checking out some of my other projects or
contributing any of your hard-earned
shekels, check out my Patreon. Yeah, I
know. I gotta make money off my hobbies
somehow.
Patron Roll of Honour
Extraordinarily special thanks to Patrick
M., Travis LaFave, exball, Robert Mayotte,
Princess Moonbeam, cody stewart, Rogier
Jordann and Miss Mae for their support.
Changelog
07/02/2017: Version 0.2. Overall spelling
and grammar and formatting fixes. Made
the tables look prettier. Added new several
new Talents and reorganized the Talents
section. Added one new Weapon and two
new Mounts.
14/02/2017: Version 0.3. Another
proofreading/editing pass. Improved
formatting and added a sweet map by
Messiahcide. Added several new pieces of
Wargear and rewrote various Talents and
Weapon Qualities.
22/02/2017: Version 0.4. Yet more
proofreading, added a bunch of new art, a
new Vehicle, and yet more wargear and
weapons.
26/02/2017: Version 0.4.1. Big pass for
content readability, a little bit more art, one
new Talent, one new Weapon, added
changelog
16/03/2017: Version 0.5. Formatting
overhaul now that I actually know how to
use Libreoffice
17/03/2017: Version 0.5.1. Minor formatting
fixes, added missing gear weights
10/04/2017: Version 0.6. Tweaked a few
Talents, added several new pieces of
weaponry and gear, added Regimental
Archetypes
15/04/2017: Version 0.7. Added a new
Homeworld Option, added Expanded Gear
4
Variants, began the Minor Worlds of the
Cluster section
18/04/2017: Version 0.8. Added Psyker
Advanced Specialties.
20/04/2017: Version 0.8.1 Added one
Talent, gear for Psyker Advanced
Specialties, minor formatting fixes
24/04/2017: Version 0.8.2 Added more
Tennanlower, Edelweiss and Nivan fluff,
added the True Nivans regiment option
and several pieces of True Nivan gear, as
well as a single Edelweiss vehicle
26/05/2017: Version 0.8.3. Added Commissar
Advanced Specialties courtesy of
Commander Beef, as well as rules for Ski
Troops and Bicycle Troops, reworked the
True Nivan/Nivan Junker fluff
12/06/2017: Version 0.8.4. More formatting
fixes, a bit more Bellagian fluff, added
some new weapons to the Armoury
16/06/2017: Version 0.8.5. Image
compression fixes to cut filesize.
Standardized formatting for Regimental
statblocks. Added one new piece of
Wargear, 3 new Talents, made many small
tweaks to Talents and Armoury equipment.
Added slightly more Dolcaterran fluff.
12/09/2017: Version 0.8.6. Some minor
formatting changes for legibility.
Rearranged the Armory section so it makes
more sense. Many more balance/content
tweaks. Added a couple new pieces of art.
12/10/2017: Version 0.9. Added
Stormtrooper Advanced Specialties,
Vehicle Variants, and one new vehicle.
Filled out the Melee weapons section
slightly. Added five Exotic Weapons.
Added two new Talents, including
MARTIAL ARTS ACTION.
19/10/2017: Version 0.9.1 Added Pleasure
World Homeworld, two pieces of art, did
some formatting fixes.
26/10/2017: Version 1.0! The Make it Pretty
Edition! Reformatted the entire document
from scratch, added a ton of new images,
did a ton of content editing and typo fixes.
08/11/2017: Version 1.1. Fixed most of the
formatting issues left over from 1.0, added
Vehicle Customization. Added a couple
weapon upgrades, one melee weapon, and
made some rewrites/expansions to the
Minor Worlds, Kurassiers and Skyboarders
sections
19/11/2017: Version 1.2! The Trench
Warfare Edition! Added rules for field guns
and heavy bombardments, chemical
weapons, and the Chemical Damage Type.
Added in the Aerosani that I totally forgot
to add ages ago. Also, the new Sutler
Support Specialty, and some Unusual
Ammunition options for lasguns.
04/01/2018: Version 1.3. Added in quite a
few Talents inspired by XCOM. Slightly
modified some art- thanks Lamerus. Made
general edits, a few minor changes to some
Support Specialties.
04/02/2018:
Update. Balance pass on Advance
5
Specialties and the Sutler to bring them a
rules. Added four Advanced Specialties for
the Sutler, and one new piece of Artillery.
Many many many bits of editing, mostly on
bits of gear and vehicles.
31/07/18 Version 1.5.
• Updated and resorted the Armoury
sections, adding Plasma
Ammunition, Flamer
Customizations, Rifle Grenades,
and some balance changes.
• Added quick-reference rarity tables
• Added a variety of sidebars on
useful things
• Made some minor balance changes
to Regimental Archetypes, various
Talents and several Specialties
• New background image, new art by
myself and Messiahcide, many new
images
11/24/2018: Version 1.6. The Sidebar and
Fluff Update. Added numerous adventure
hooks for each planet, as well as a few
images. Added some cultural detail for the
soldiers of each regiment to make RPing
them more interesting. Slightly expanded
the fluff for Dolcatero. Various balance
fixes to the Sutler. Slight balance changes
to Nerve Gas. Expanded Ammunition
section. Slightly reorganized the Vehicles
and Mounts section. Changed table
formatting to be a little prettier.
27/01/2019: Version 1.7
talent so it actually makes sense for use with
Flamers. Added new Sight weapon
customizations.
Added 9 new planet-specific Talents. 05/06/2020: Version 2.1: The Chilly Archery
Added a sidebar on regiment fluff creation. Update
Added a ton of new art by yours truly. • Volume 1:
o Added the Cold-Weather
26/02/2019: Version 1.8: The Cavalry and Warfare section, as requested
Children Update by patron Alex H.
• Added a couple more new Talents o Added planet art by Evil
• Added the Old Guard Advanced Windly
Specialty o Edited and tweaked several
• Added rules for Child Soldiers sections for clarity and
• Added Barding continuity
• Added stats for camels, mules and • Volume 2:
elephants o Added the Arbalist, Yeoman
• Did tons of minor editing and and Trick Archery Talents.
rebalancing in all sections Tweaked the balance of
several older Talents.
• Added a crap-ton of images
o Reorganized Regiment
Creation Options,
20/12/2019: Version 2.0: The Volume Split
Regimental Archetypes,
• Divided the Trisdekan Primer into a
Battle Honours, Advanced
setting, character-building and
Specialties, Orders and
armoury book to make editing
Combat Actions
easier. Added a kickass piece of
o Added one new Battle
cover art by Akklonia
Honour
• Volume 1: Tweaked and clarified the
o Slightly buffed the Battle
Korpogardistos regiment rules
Song action
• Volume 2: Added Battle Honours,
• Volume 3:
new Regimental Drawbacks, and
o Added Longbows, Horn
Habermann Soldiers. Made some
Bows, Asymmetrical Bows,
balance tweaks on Actions, added
and Compound Bows
three new Talents and two new
o Added several new Weapon
Orders. Added Plasma Ammunition
Upgrades
o Added Bodkin Arrows, Blunt
• Volume 3: Separated Low-Tech and Arrows, Whistling Arrows
Blackpowder Weapons. Added and Fire Arrows.
seven new Blackpowder weapons o Added Crampons and Snow
and Duplex Bullets. Tweaked Goggles
several weapon statblocks for more o Tweaked some weapon stats.
variety. Converted the 4-pounder o Reorganized several sections
into an artillery piece, rather than a for clarity and ease of use
weapon. Added 2 new Blackpowder
artillery pieces

6
16/04/2021: Version 2.2: The Artillery & Air o Added the Ironcase Rocket
Support Update and Flaming Arrow artillery
• Volume 1 pieces.
o Updated several of the o Tweaked rules for horse-
prebuilt Regiments with new drawn artillery
Doctrines and gear o Updated and polished the
o Added the Brumeran Horse vehicle section
Artillery, Edelweiss o Added the Bruennhilde and
Grenzers and Tennanlowe Dvalinn prime movers.
MCDF premade regiments,
plus fluff
o Added several new
Adventure Hooks
• Volume 2
o Fixed the costs for the
Regimental Drawbacks.
o Added the Artillery Spotter
Guardsman Speciality
o Added the Junior Officer
and Officer of the Fleet
Support Specialties
o Added the Air Controller,
Dropmaster, Model Officer
and Tactician Advanced
Specialties
o Tweaked the abilities of the
Long-Range Patroller and
Raider Advanced Specialties
o Added the Holy Martyrdom
Equipment Doctrine
o Slightly reformatted the
Mount Training section to
make it look prettier
o Added one new Battle
Honour
• Volume 3
o Added Spyglasses, Signal
Flags and the Martyr Vest
o Added the Jezzail, Revolver
Rifle and Trench Catapult

7
New Regiment Creation Options
ragtag band of heathen primitives, drugged-up
supermen, outright criminals and gear-frakkers?
-Lord-General Bedfordium Harris
The following regiment creation options
have been designed with some of the
planets of Trisdeka in mind, but can of
course be re-fluffed to fit other areas of the
Imperium.
Homeworlds
Early Modern World
Many worlds in the wider Imperium have
moved beyond the feudal stage, but are still
developing towards more modern
nationhood and the industrialization of the
more primitive civilized worlds. These
planets are known as Early Modern Worlds,
and are often favored over feudal ones for
induction into the Emperor's light because
their societies tend to be semi-
industrialized, centralized, and generally
better organized. Some are in a state of
cultural renaissance as feudalism gives way
to advanced artistic and philosophical
achievement, while still others have only
just begun to utilize steam power or
electricity in their industries. Nonetheless,
a dualism common in all Early Modern
Worlds is the contrast between culture and
conquest- many are dominated by huge
continent-spanning empires locked in
ferocious combat with their rivals, and all
see colonization attempts spanning their
oceans or great landmasses. The people
these planets breed are curious, inquisitive
and open to new ideas about the world
8
around them, but just as able with fire and
shot and steel.
Total Cost: 1 point
Characteristic Bonus: +3 to any two of
Toughness, Willpower and Weapon Skill
Skills: Athletics, Common Lore (War),
Linguistics (High Gothic)
Talents: Duelist or Double Team
Wounds: +1 Starting Wound
Neoclassicism: Many Early Modern Worlds
have not yet developed a single unifying
planetary language, but certain common
dialects used for philosophy or learned
discourse are common. often derived from
'classical' languages spoken in the planet's
long-vanished history. Characters from an
Early Modern World begin play with
Linguistics (High Gothic), but are
otherwise unable to read or speak Low
Gothic, though they may be able to pick
out words in the same way a Latin speaker
might recognize words in French or
English.
Age of Reason: Early-moderners often pride
themselves on their scientific and
philosophical literacy, as well as their
willingness to embrace new ideas about the
world around them. However, the ideas
they do tend to embrace and utilize are
often either horribly primitive or just plain
wrong. Lore, Operate, Tech-Use and
Medicae skills used by Early Modern
characters only apply to technology or
knowledge known in the 1700s on Earth-
they can suture a wound, drive a carriage
and operate a clock, for instance, but
electricity is a scientific novelty, steam
engines are still unfamiliar and disinfectants
are wholly unknown.
Military Science: Early modern military
strategy and tactics still revolve around the
musketeer, the lancer, and muzzle-loading
artillery, and many worlds have not yet had
the time to fully appreciate what exactly
they are tithing their men to do. Characters
from these worlds cannot take the Operator
Specialty when beginning play, though
they are free to switch in to it at higher
ranks. Further, they cannot purchase or
receive any Weapon Training talents other
than Blackpowder and Low-Tech until
they have gained at least enough XP to
change Specialties for the first time.
Pleasure World
The Imperium has few true Pleasure
Worlds, and what constitutes pleasure
varies from sector to sector, but their
purpose is always the same- to provide
leisure activities for the Imperial nobility,
and even sometimes regular citizens. These
planets could be gigantic luxury resorts,
nature preserves, or even planets with an
unusually high number and quality of
brothels- there are no constants. Trained to
comfort, please, and bend over backwards
to the hoi polloi of the Imperium of Man,
Pleasure Worlders almost universally make
for terrible soldiers, employed only at truly
desparate times. Some Pleasure Worlds may
maintain a stable of gladiatorial warriors,
but ceremonial arena combat simply cannot
compare to the battlefields upon which the
Imperial Guard regularly deploys.
Total Cost: 3 Points
Characteristic Modifiers: -3 to Toughness and
Willpower, +3 to Fellowship and
Perception
Skills: Sleight of Hand, Common Lore
(Imperium), Charm, Linguistics (Low
Gothic), and Perform or Trade (Pick One)
Wounds: -2 Starting Wounds
9
Fluency: Pleasure Worlders generally
interact with their clients in the language of
the nobility, but such interactions generally
do not extend to the written word. Pleasure
Worlders can comfortably speak High
Gothic, but they may only be able to read a
few words and certainly can't write it.
Eager to Please: The customer is always
right- on some Pleasure Worlds, this
mantra can mean the difference between
life and death, or at the very least life and
life with a substantial tip. Pleasure Worlders
gain a +10 to any test made to ingratiate
themselves with or suck up to their
superiors, and -10 to any test made to resist,
ignore or otherwise countermand direct
orders from authority.
Excessive Lifestyles: Pleasure Worlders grow
up in conditions that many Imperials, even
some nobles, would find unbelievably
decadent and depraved, and excesses of
food, drink and debauchery that would
poleaxe lesser men pass them by, though
not without a deeper moral cost. Pleasure
Worlders begin play with 1d10+1 points of
Corruption. However, they delay the
negative effects of any consumeable drug,
foodstuff or medicine for a number of
hours equal to their Toughness Bonus.
 Scrap World
In places where the Adeptus Mechanicus
hold sway, but their government is tenuous
or disorganized, all the byproducts and
begin to pile up. These Scrap Worlds are
covered in vast strata of machinery, junk
and the detritus of countless industrial
projects, from the downed hulks of
voidships to simple garbage dumped by the
inhabitants of other planets. The few
miserable natives who eke out a living
among the scrap are a surprisingly hardy
bunch, often used as tech-serfs by whatever
masters might rule their world. A life
among long-dead machinery, industrial
waste and pollution teaches flexibility,
ingenuity and a certain nihilistic
tenaciousness- soldiers from Scrap Worlds
are often valued, as they may have many of
the technological skills of a Forge Worlder
with fewer of the scruples.
Total Cost: 3
Characteristic Bonus: +3 to Intelligence and
Agility, -3 to Toughness
Skills: Tech-Use, Trade (Technomat),
Survival, Linguistics (Techna-Lingua),

Breathing life into a Regiment

who the
regiment is, rather than what

regiment, try asking yourself some of the following questions to help put some meat on its bones.
•
• How devout are the people of this planet? How do they worship the Emperor, if at all?
• Why do soldiers from this homeworld join the Imperial Guard? Do they do so by force or by choice?
• Why does the homeworld raise Guard units? Are they following their tithe obligations, or are their
cultural or strategic or patriotic reasons for recruitment?
• What kind of environments are the
• What are three unusual or distinctive cultural quirks people from this Regiment, and by extension
this homeworld, demonstrate? Do they have unusual customs? Strange superstitions?
• Is the Regiment all made of rookie soldiers? Or is it a mix of new and old? Is it several units
amalgamated?
• Is the Regiment all-male? All-female? Mixed?
• What kind of uniforms do the troops from the Regiment wear, if at all? Do they use camouflage? Are
they expected to keep their uniforms and gear maintained to a certain standard?
• How well does the Regiment get along with the Munitorum? The Ecclesiarchy? The Commissariat?

• How do soldiers of the Regiment behave in the field? Are they honourable? Cruel? Do they treat
their enemies with respect? Do they take prisoners? Do they have any particular military rituals?
• Does the Regiment have any past war heroes? Who do soldiers from the Regiment look up to?
• How does the Regiment treat civilians in the battle area? How do they handle soldiers fraternizing
with each other?
• Does the Regiment have any skeletons in its closet? Any past failures or dark shames?

10
Linguistics (Low Gothic), Navigate
(Surface)
Talents: Initiated Maintenance and Hardy or
Hatred (Machines and Servitors)
Wounds: -1 Starting Wound
Industrial Contaminants: The environments in
which Scrap Worlders live are barely
conducive to life, much less permanent
human habitation. Toxic chemicals and
runoff seep into the soil and groundwater,
and generation upon generation of heavy
metal poisoning or carcinogen exposure
takes its toll- some Scrap Worlders simply
live with their twisted forms, while others
choose to replace them with crude
machinery. A character from a Scrap World
begins play with either a randomly-selected
Minor Mutation or one Poor-Quality
cybernetic limb of their choice.
Abberant Machine-Worshippers: Scrap-
Worlders frequently have mixed feelings
about their planetary overlords, or may
worship a version of the Omnissiah that is
so far removed from the original as to be
almost unrecognizable. Regardless, they
have little love for the red-robed servants
of the Cult Mechanicus, and the feeling is
mutual. Scrap-Worlders recieve a -10
penalty to any Interaction test with
members of the Adeptus Mechanicus or the
citizens of proper Forge Worlds.
Machine Survivalists: Characters from Scrap
Worlds recieve a +5 bonus to any Test to
make in-field repairs of mechanisms, or
make unorthodox and illicit custom
modifications to their weapons and gear.
11
Regiment Types
Foot Artillery Regiment
Frequently found in trench-fighting
scenarios, or environments too rough for
more conventional artillery, Foot Artillery
Regiments are equipped with very light
weapons which are usually man-portable.
Though they lack the range and firepower
of the heavier artillery, they make up for it
in flexibility.
Cost: 2 points
Characteristics: +3 Ballistic Skill, 3
Perception
Starting Skills: Navigate (Surface)
Starting Talents: Calculated Barrage
Standard Kit: 1 lascarbine (Main Weapon)
and four charge packs per Player Character,
1 Mortar per every 2 characters, 1 pair of
magnoculars per Player Character, 1 vox-
caster per Squad.
Light Artillery Regiment
Towed artillery is often the cheapest and
most mobile option available to the Astra
Militarum, and Light Artillery regiments
are deployed in a huge variety of roles; they
can be tasked with long-range
bombardments, infantry support, or even
anti-tank duties.
Cost: 3 points
Characteristics: +3 Ballistic Skill, 3
Toughness
Starting Skills: Operate (Surface) or Survival
Starting Talents: Low Profile or Tank
Hunter
Standard Kit: 1 lascarbine (Main Weapon)
and four charge packs per Player Character,
1 Field or Mortar or Rocket-type artillery
per Squad, 1 Centaur or Land Crawler or
Truck or Mounts needed to tow Artillery
per Squad, 1 pair of magnoculars per Player
Character, 1 vox-caster per Squad.
Heavy Artillery Regiment
Heavy or siege artillery regiments haul the
largest weapons available to the Imperium,
battering their targets to pieces from far
over the horizon. Though seldom the most
mobile, and horribly vulnerable to air
attack or ambush, they represent the
heaviest firepower that the common
Guardsman can call upon.
Cost: 5 points
Characteristics: +3 Ballistic Skill, 3
Toughness
Starting Skills: Operate (Surface), Tech-Use
Starting Talents: Calculated Barrage,
Standard Kit: 1 lascarbine (Main Weapon)
and four charge packs per Player Character,
1 Siege-type Artillery per Squad, Up to 2
Centaurs or Land Crawlers or Trucks or
Mounts needed to tow Artillery per Squad,
1 pair of magnoculars per Player Character,
1 vox-caster per Squad.
Mechanized Artillery Regiment
The Militarum fields a vast amount of
mechanized artillery, heavy support guns
on vehicle platforms that are more mobile
and better-protected than their towed
equivalents. In a pinch, vehicles like the
Basilisk or the Gryphon can even be used as
improvised tanks, their heavy armour giving
them a great deal of survivability.
12
Cost: 4 points
Characteristics: +3 Ballistic Skill, 3
Toughness
Starting Skills: Operate (Surface)
Starting Talents: Bombardier
Standard Kit: 1 lascarbine (Main Weapon)
and four charge packs per Player Character,
1 Basilisk or Manticore or Gryphon per
Squad, 1 pair of magnoculars per Player
Character, 1 vox-caster per Squad.
Training and Equipment Doctrines
Bicycle Troops
Though less common than other forms of
mounted infantry, bicycle troops are useful
in urban environments or on extremely
rough terrain, where the small size of their
vehicles can allow them to cover surprising
am0unts of distance. The added logistical
benefits of bicycles, which require no fuel
and little maintenance, often appeals to
guerilla or reconnaissance units as well.
Type: Special Equipment Doctrine
Cost: 2 points
Standard Regimental Kit: 1 Bicycle, 1
anointed maintenance kit, 1 spare tire per
Player Character.
Child Soldiers
low minimum recruiting age, or is so
desperate for manpower that it will
conscript anyone; regardless, the regiment
is mostly composed of child soldiers.
Children are small, nimble and may notice
things that adult
may not be prepared for the realities of war
in the 41st millennium.
All Infantry Specialist characters in this
Regiment are considered to be children.
Characters from this regiment cannot be
Support Specialists- the rules for Mixed
Regiments must be employed to generate
Support Specialists for this regiment.
Type: Training Doctrine
Cost: 2
Starting Traits: Size (3)
Starting Talents: Hardy
Childish Innocence: Children characters take a
-20 penalty to resist any social tests from
adults or authority figures. They gain their
first Mental Disorder after passing 20
Insanity, instead of 40.
Quick Learners: Children characters reduce
the cost of all XP expenditures by 50 until
they hit their first milestone to switch
Specialty.
Now you too can be the little girl in the 41st Millenium. Image from
Erica1940
13
Habermann Soldiers
A nightmarish process for producing
inexpensive cybernetic soldiers, the
Habermann Process was invented by a
certain Archmagos Krawnch Habermann
of, where else, Niva Gustav.
mind from many of their senses and
connects all of their autonomic nervous
system up to an exterior control panel. A
Habermann Soldier is numb save for their
sight, but has total control over their
breathing, heart rate, immune response and
all other bodily processes.
Needless to say, being converted to a
Habermann is seldom a voluntary process,
and it is frequently inflicted on Mechanicus
penal soldiers when Servitorization is not an
option.
Any Infantry Specialist soldier in this
Regiment is a Habermann. Characters from
this regiment cannot be Support
Specialists- the rules for Mixed Regiments
must be employed to generate Support
Specialists for this regiment.
Type: Training Doctrine
Cost: 4
Starting Traits: Machine (2)
Starting Talents: Iron Jaw
Veil of Emptiness: Habermann Soldiers have
no sense of hearing, smell, taste or touch.
They are completely immune to pain, such
as the effects of the Crippling weapon
quality, and gain a +30 bonus to any Test to
avoid being Blinded.

Though their bodies
are horribly mutilated, the minds of
Habermann Soldiers are very much intact.
These characters begin play with 2d10
Insanity, lack the immunity to mind-
influencing psychic effects from the
Machine trait, and take a -30 penalty to
Fellowship-based tests with characters who
are not Techpriests, from Forge Worlds, or
other Habermann Soldiers.
Holy Martyrdom
duty extends all the way to death, and that
to take the enemies of the Emperor with
you is the ultimate achievement of the
faithful.
Type: Special Equipment Doctrine
Cost: 1 Point
14
Standard Regimental Kit: Martyr Vest,
Headband with holy symbols
Ski Troops
This regiment is specially trained to
operate with high mobility in snow or icy
conditions, using skis to move at great
speeds over terrain that would normally be
impassable to infantry on foot. Such
regiments favor fit and healthy soldiers- an
unfit skiier is a dead skiier on a battlefield.
Type: Special Equipment Doctrine
Cost: 2 points
Standard Regimental Kit: 1 pair of Skis, 1 pair
of Ski Poles, 1 Survival Suit per Player
Character.
Regimental Drawbacks
The following Regimental Drawbacks can
be taken during regiment creation to
provide a wider range of narrative and
Regiment Point options, or imposed on a
regiment during the course of play to
reflect the effects of long combat service
(see the section on Battle Honours, below)
Bloodthirsty
Humans can sink to their basest instincts in
battle, and some who do so never quite
return to what they were. These men and
women are not quite broken, not yet, but
they have a thirst for slaughter that is
almost overpowering.
Type: Regimental Drawback
Regiment Points: 3
Die die die!: Each time a soldier from this
Regiment kills a target, they must pass a
Willpower Test. If they fail, they spend the
next Turn continuing to savagely assail the
body, even if doing so would waste
ammunition or put them in danger. If they
fail by more than two Degrees, they
become Frenzied and gain 1d5
Insanity.
otherwise well-trained fighting force.
Type: Regimental Drawback
Regiment Points: 2
Got the Goods?: Members of this Regiment
gain a +20 bonus to Tests to acquire or steal
chems and intoxicants.
Tune In, Drop Out: Every character in this
Regiment is permanently addicted to one
are not under the influence of this chem
they take a -10 penalty to their three
highest Characteristics.
Exhausted
Even the most well-trained soldiers are not
tireless, and with long and grinding combat
every soldier eventually becomes a listless,
stumbling shadow of their former selves.
too hard in training or on the battlefield.
Type: Regimental Drawback
Regiment Points: 2
Carry That Weight: Any time soldiers from
this Regiment go for more than 12 hours
without proper rest and food, they reduce

Decadent

The Imperium makes heavy use

of combat drugs for its soldiers,
but generally under fairly
restrictive circumstances. In
those cases where discipline
breaks down and the black
market thrives, everpresent
drug addiction can utterly
destroy the effectiveness of an

15
their Strength and Agility Bonuses by 1d5-2 assessing enemy strength or numbers with
(to a minimum of 1). less than two Degrees of Success, they form
an incorrect opinion about the threat
Mutinous presented by their target. This opinion will
always involve the enemy being much less
Sometimes the pressures of poor command dangerous than they initially appear.
grow so great that rebelling against the
strictures of Militarum discipline seems like Paranoid
the only option. This Regiment has seen
the worst that its leadership has to offer,
and has had enough. crazy
Type: Regimental Drawback believe-
Regiment Points: 4
Quiet Plotting: A substantial minority, or a
ers, things really are!
up to and including low-ranking
officers, are actively plotting to kill
or overthrow their commanders. The
plot is well-established and near to
achieving its goals. What exact effect
this has on gameplay is up to the
GM.

Overconfident

The troops of this Regiment have

undergone great victories, crushing
their enemies over and over again.
They are the unyielding hammer of

unbreakable point of His spear, a

towering inferno of might which-
you get the idea. Whether due to
battle experience or training, the
soldiers of this Regiment are riding
high- but pride always comes before
a fall.
Typr: Regimental Drawback
Regiment Points: 2
Any time a member of
this Regiment passes an Awareness,
Lore, or Command Test related to

16
Type: Regimental Drawback
Regiment Points: 2
Talents: Paranoia
The Eye in the Pyramid: Whenever a
Character from this Regiment passes an
Intelligence or Perception-based Test,
they gain 1d5-3 Insanity (to a minimum of
0).
Poorly Trained
Sometimes troop training takes a second
fiddle to expediency- so the Munitorum
feels, anyways. For those soldiers who have
been rushed through training, then thrust
on to the battlefield utterly unprepared for
the environment they have been posted to,
the logic of such a decision is not
particularly appealing.
Type: Regimental Drawback
Regiment Points: 4
Winging It: For their first 6 months of in-
game time in a new theatre of battle, troops
17
from this Regiment must roll twice and
take the lower result on any Lore tests
relating to their battlefield environment or
any Tech-Use or Operate tests to use
equipment they have been assigned for that
environment.
Shattered
The soldiers of this regiment have seen
- they
have been destroyed in body and soul by
their experiences, but somehow they still
live, listlessly following orders with minds
that are hollow and full of deadly apathy.
Type: Regimental Drawback
Regiment Points: 5
Talents: Cold Hearted, Disturbing Voice
Less than Human: Soldiers from this
Regiment are whole in body, but not in
mind. They begin play with 3d10 Insanity,
and take a -20 penalty to any Fellowship-
based Tests with characters who have less
Insanity than they do.
Why Bother: Soldiers from this
Regiment take a -2 penalty to all
Initiative tests.
Regimental Archetypes
-Commissar Karolus Brutananadilewski,
Bellagian 698th
All regiments in the Imperial guard have
their characters, faces who stand out from
the crowd. The long-suffering
regimental piper, the jolly sergeant who
greets his men with a wink and a lho-stick;
all can be expressed through Regimental
Archetypes.
Regimental Archetypes are an optional
eation
that functions not dis-similarly to the
advanced character creation packages from
Rogue Trader. Each Archetype can be
purchased on character creation for 300xp,
providing a choice of a temporary bonus
Aptitude or two Skills, as well as various
other special abilities to encourage
effective RPing. Skills purchased in this
way count as Skill Advances if the
purchasing character already has the
relevant skill.
A character may only purchase one
Archetype, and the choice of Archetype is
permanent. If the character chooses an
Aptitude as their bonus, they lose this
Aptitude the first time they change
Specialty- as a regiment evolves, so too do
the soldiers who fight in it.
Black Marketeer
Bonus Skills: Commerce, Common Lore
(Calixis Sector) or Bonus Aptitude: Fellowship
This character knows people who know
people, and other members of the regiment
18
come to them if they need items, weapons
or gear above and beyond what can
normally be found in Imperial supply
depots. This character gains the effects of
the Scavengers regimental doctrine: They
can choose to take a +10 to Logistics tests,
but if they roll doubles they attract
unwanted attention from the authorities. If
their regiment already possesses the
Scavengers doctrine, they gain a further +10
to the logistics test from the ability but also
attract attention on Logistics tests of 89-
100.
Born Sergeant
Bonus Skills: Intimidate, Common Lore
(Imperial Guard) or Bonus Aptitude:
Leadership
This character was born with unusually
strong lungs and a brazen voice that cuts
through the din of battle. When it comes to
being really loud, no one can compare.
They gain a +10 bonus to any Command
test that involves screaming at the top of
their lungs. Unfortunately, they sometimes
- If this
character makes a Fellowship-based test
while hiding, sneaking, or engaged in
combat, all enemy characters within earshot
gain a +20 bonus to any tests to locate or
detect them.
Creep
Bonus Skills: Intimidate, Sleight of Hand or
Bonus Aptitude: Willpower
This character makes people around them
uncomfortable, plain and simple. They may
have a peculiar odour, or an unsavory sexual
proclivity, or a tendency to giggle at
exactly the wrong time, but regardless
often turn to darker places for solace. This
character gains a +5 to Intimidate tests,
even if the skill is not Trained. Every time
this character would gain Corruption they
gain an extra amount equal to half their
Fellowship bonus rounded up.
Doc
Bonus Skills: Medicae, Scholastic Lore
(Chymistry) or Bonus Aptitude: Intelligence
This character has a talent for mending
scrapes and wounds, though they may not
have any formal medical training.
Regardless, they are often called upon to
help in medical situations well beyond their
knowledge, and their over-enthusiasm can
prove fatal. This character adds a further +1
to the amount of wounds they heal with the
First Aid special skill use. If this character
fails a Medicae test by more than four
degrees, the subject of their ministrations
must make a Difficult (-10) Toughness Test
or die from the complications.
Glory-Hound
Bonus Skill: Athletics, Interrogation or Bonus
Aptitude: Offence
This character believes wholeheartedly in
the glory of combat, and seeks to kill their
enemies as spectacularly as possible. They
may also direct their passion for battle
against their own allies, seeking out those
with a less than enthusiastic attitude
towards conflict. This character takes a -10
penalty to their Willpower, Perception and
Intelligence if they are unable to engage in
an ongoing fight or are in a situation where
they are being forced to retreat, but a +5 to
those statistics when engaged in combat.
19
Joker
Bonus Skills: Scrutiny, Sleight of Hand or
Bonus Aptitude: Social
This character always has a quip at the
ready, a natural talent for cutting remarks,
and can be counted on to make light of the
grimmest situation. However, laughing at
danger is not necessarily the safest way to
use the Charm skill to perform the Inspire
Special Action in combat as a Half Action.
However, any time they would take
Insanity as a result of Fear effects, they
gain a number of additional Insanity points
equal to half their Fellowship Bonus,
rounded up.
Mascot
Bonus Skills: Charm, Common Lore (Local
Front) or Bonus Aptitude: Fellowship
Whether through luck, pluck or something
wholly beyond their control, this character
is considered to be a mascot by other
members of their regiment, and their
presence keeps morale high and soldiers
willing to fight on. If they should come to
harm, however, that same morale will falter.
So long as this character is unhurt, all other
allied characters from the same regiment
gain a +10 to any Toughness or Willpower-
based Tests. If the mascot character suffers
damage, these bonuses are removed until
such time as they are fully healed. If they
are Heavily Damaged or suffer any more
damage beyond that, the bonuses instead
become -10 penalties until such time as they
are fully healed.
Messenger
Bonus Skills: Athletics, Acrobatics or Bonus
Aptitude: Agility
This character is fast, fast as a running
beast, and they know when it comes to any
to deliver parcels and orders, they will often
spend most of a fight moving at a rapid
pace, and they tend to push themselves too
far. Once per combat, this character may
double their Agility bonus for the purpose
of calculating movement speed for 1d5
rounds. The first time they gain Fatigue
each session they automatically gain an
additional level.
Objector
Bonus Skill: Dodge, Scholastic Lore
(Philosophy) or Bonus Aptitude: Defence
This character has moral or philosophical or
religious objections to fighting, but have
found themselves on the field of battle
anyways. While their beliefs can inspire
their allies to fight harder for a cause, they
are often seen as a liability in combat. Once
per combat, this character can encourage an
allied character to ignore the negative
effects of a single point of Fatigue for the
remainder of the fight as a Free Action.
However, this character recieves a -20 to
any Fellowship tests when dealing with
superior officers, unless they share the
Old-timer
Bonus Skills: Common Lore (Local Front),
Awareness or Bonus Aptitude: Toughness
This character has seen the fires of battle
many times before, and has somehow lasted
this long. Whether they are a veteran of
previous regiment, conflict has left them
20
skilled but marked by loss. Once per
session, when this character would gain
insanity as a result of Fear, they reduce the
value gained by 1/2 their Willpower Bonus,
rounded up, to a minimum of 0. However,
they begin play with 1d10+5 Insanity.
Companies and Battalions
Many Imperial Guard regiments are
truly gigantic by any standard,
hurling tens of thousands of men
into combat. Within such groups,
regiments which can field whole
battalions or extended companies
numbering in the hundreds or low
thousands of men, homogeneity is
never guaranteed. Consider real-life
cases like the First World War,
where individual battalions of some
regiments went years without
making formal contact with, or
fighting along each other, and
individual battalions developed their
own distinct characters.
If you find yourself GMing an
unusually huge regiment and want to
add a little diversity to different
companies, Talents may offer some
flexibility- within each Company,
consider offering one or two free
Tier 1 Talents, or possibly training in
a Skill, that varies from Company to
particularly major bonus or change,
but it offers some variety or
differentiation between different
elements of the Regiment.

One-Man Army
Bonus Skills: Dodge, Parry or Bonus Aptitude:
Finesse
This character is a more than competent
combatant, but their combat prowess tends
to alienate their peers. Being at the top of
your game inspires overconfidence and
vainglory in even the most seasoned
veteran. This character gains a +10 bonus to
all Fear tests so long as they are more than
10 meters away from the nearest allied
character other than their comrade, but a -
21
20 to Fear tests if they are less than 10
meters away.
Snitch
Bonus Skills: Deceive, Security or Bonus
Aptitude: Social
This character is a necessary evil, a soldier
who reports on their fellows to the political
officers of their regiment. While being a
snitch may have its perks, and has kept
many a weasel, cheat and liar off the firing
line, no one likes a backstabbing sell-out.
This character receives a +10 bonus to all
Fellowship-based tests with
Commissars, disciplinarian
officers or other stern authority
figures, and a -10 penalty to all
Fellowship-based tests with any
character from their regiment or
characters from other regiments
who know that they are a Snitch.
Spook
Bonus Skill: Psyniscience,
Scholastic Lore (Numerology) or
Bonus Aptitude: Psyker
This character is a magnet for
weirdness, and rumors abound of
their supposed supernatural
abilities. While this may not be the
case, it is true that their souls are
different from those of their
peers, and they may often find
themselves blessed with
pretenatural luck or cursed with
unnatural evil. This character
begins play with 10 Corruption
and a single Malignancy of their
choice. If they wish, they may
choose to spend 600xp at any time
to purchase the Psyker Trait, a Psy
Rating of 1, and a single Psychic Power with
a cost of 200xp or less. They may purchase
higher Psy Ratings and Psychic Powers as
normal Sanctioned Psykers, and count as
Unbound when determining Psychic
Strength.
Stickler
Bonus Skills: Logic, Scholastic Lore
(Bureaucracy) or Bonus Aptitude: Knowledge
This character has a stick up their bottom,
and can generally be counted on to be
pedantic when it comes to the rules and
regulations of the Imperial Guard. When it
comes to minutiae of paperwork, such
humorless marionettes are valuable, but
they are generally poor at taking the
initiative. This character takes a -10 to all
Willpower and Fellowship-based tests in
any situation where they do not have a
direct chain of command to rely on, but
recieve a +10 to any tests involving the
filling of paperwork or matters of official
doctrine.
Tinkerer
Bonus Skills: Trade (Technomat or Armorer),
Tech-Use or Bonus Aptitude: Tech
This character has a way with machines, but
not to the degree of a Techpriest of the
Adeptus Mechanicus. While their abilities
can be handy, and they are often in demand
for simple field repairs, they tend to attract
the enmity of those who maintain and
provide their weapons. If making weapon
customizations, this character takes no
penalty to Trade tests for modifying
This character recieves a -5 penalty to
individual, but not Squad, Logistics tests,
and a -10 penalty to all Fellowship-based
22
tests with members of the Adeptus
Mechanicus.
Woodsman
Bonus Skills: Survival or Navigate (Surface),
Scholastic Lore (Beasts) or Bonus Aptitude:
Fieldcraft
This character feels a connection to the
wild places of the galaxy, and has a natural
sense of direction. They might feel more at
home in deep woods, or the tunnels under a
hive, or the abandoned bowels of a
voidship. While they make for excellent
natural guides, they are uncomfortable with
advanced machinery and often feel scornful
of those not accustomed to the ways of the
wild. Upon character creation, specify a
single type of environment such as Tundra,
Jungle, Desert, Hive Cities, etc as their
home environment. This character increases
the number of degrees of Success they get
on any passed Survival Test in their home
environment by 1, but takes takes a -5 to all
Fellowship-based tests with those not
raised in a similar environment to them, and
a -10 to all Intelligence or Agility-based
tests to operate machinery or vehicles.
Battle Honours
New or Mixed Regiments and
Battle Honours
Any long-serving regiment that
Naturally, different regiments with
successfully fights for the Imperium will see
different backgrounds will tend to
dozens of battles across multiple worlds and
have different honours, and newly-
fronts, battles that irrevocably shape its
formed regiments will likely have
nature as a fighting force. To honour their
none. At the GM's discretion, they
successes, Imperial regiments are
might award a regiment a Battle
frequently awarded (or award themselves)
Honour before the start of a
formal battle honours, a listing of all the
campaign to reflect, for instance, the
campaigns the Regiment has ever embarked
influence of experienced officers or
upon. The honours are primarily
Commissars on training.
ceremonial- a way to prove the lineage and
traditions of the unit- but more subtly they
Similarly, different units from Mixed
are reminders of where and how the unit
Regiments receive different Battle
has learned to fight.
Honours depending on which
Component Regiment they
In game terms, Battle Honours are
originate from. Over time, however,
regiment-wide bonuses that slighlty alter
new Battle Honours will naturally
the character of a Regiment after its
affect all characters in the Mixed
service. These are comparable to
Regiment, regardless of their unit of
origin.
Distinguished Service Medals, save that
they affect any member of the Regiment
(including newly-generated characters). For
example, the soldiers of a Regiment which
has won several battles against Orkish
forces might have greater understanding of
Orkish social hierarchy or equipment, while
a Regiment which has engaged the Tau
might have a grasp of maneuver warfare,
Tau battle tactics, or even advanced plasma
weaponry.

Battle Honours should only be awarded by

the GM at the end of a major campaign-
usually at the same time as Distinguished
Service Medals or Kill Markers.

23
They apply to every character currently a
member of the Regiment which has been
awarded the honour, as well as any
subsequent character generated for that
Regiment. If multiple Regiments are
serving in the same combat area, they can
all expect to recieve the same Battle
Honour.
Battle Honours take on the name of the
conflict they are awarded for; a battle for a
hill numbered 86, for instance, would grant
the Regiment the "Hill 86" honour.
Generally speaking, Battle Honours do not
provide direct bonuses to the skills or
characteristics of a character, but rather
slightly influence the environment in which
they work.
Example Honours
What follows is a sampling of
the kinds of Battle Honours one
might encounter, and their
benefits- it is of course up to the
GM to create new honours or
tailor these ones to their
campaigns as they see fit.
Ambush/Infiltration Honour
This honour covers any
engagement won primarily by
suprise or stealth, usually against a
larger enemy force. Members
of this Regiment treat their
Agility Bonus as being 1
higher for the purposes of
determining movement so long
as they have not been detected
by enemy forces or are actively
trying to hide.
24
Armoured Clash Honour
This battle honour implies an engagement
between the Regiment's armoured
elements and large numbers of enemy
vehicles or cavalry in a head-to-head duel.
Members of this Regiment may apply
Weapon Customizations to Vehicle
weapons.
Barrage Honour
This battle honour speaks to the
Regiment s skill with the big guns, and
their successes in destroying enemy forces
with artillery at long ranges. Once per
battle, members of this Regiment may roll
twice on the Scatter diagram when
calculating fire from an Indirect weapon
and choose whichever result they prefer.
Battle of Attrition Honour
This battle honour covers
any engagement involving
long, drawn out battles fought
over the same ground, or battles
with unusually high casualties on
Regiment's side. Members of
this Regiment add an extra
Clip's worth of ammo for their
Main Weapon and one Smoke
Grenade to their Standard
Regimental Kit.
Bridgehead/Landing Honour
This honour commemorates a
first assault, usually over
water or from space,
against an enemy
concentration. Members of
this Regiment pay half the XP
cost to purchase their first and
second ranks in the Dodge skill.
Civilian Cooperation Honour
This honour denotes a battle involving
extensive protection of or cooperation with
civilian elements on the ground, such as
refugees or local resistance. Members of
this Regiment pay half the XP cost to
purchase their first rank in the Charm,
Scrutiny and Investigation skills.
Defensive Warfare Honour
Winners of this honour have been engaged
in static warfare to defend a strongpoint,
like a city or fortified trench line.
Members of this Regiment pay 100 xp less
to purchase the following Talents:
Covering Fire, Trench Dweller, Vigilant,
Light Sleeper.
Exotic Allies Honour
Winners of this honour have battled
alongside allies who are unusual by normal
Militarum standards, such as Abhumans,
Astartes or even friendly xenos. Members
of this Regiment gain a +5 to any
Intelligence-based Tests surrounding these
allies, and spend 100 less XP to purchase the
Peer talent related to them.
Glorious Charge Honour
The thunder of hooves and the glitter of
lances marked a great victory for this
Regiment and its mounted cavalry. Any
Mounts owned by members of this
Regiment increase their Toughness and
Agility by 3.
High-Technology Battlefield Honour
This honour commemorates a battle in
which the Regiment's soldiers came to rely
on a specific piece of unfamiliar technology
or kit to help them win the day. Members
25
Endless Service
Every Imperial Guard regiment
changes over time as soldiers are
killed, transfer into other fronts or
are permitted a discharge from the
Militarum- and these changes are
not necessarily positive. For every
great award and honour awarded a
unit, it might also see catastrophic
upheavals from within, as its soldiers
deal with the stress and hardships of
their positions.
To reflect the circumstances with
which a Regiment has had to deal
with, and to keep new characters
made from within that Regiment up
to date with a Squad, the GM can
choose to, for roughly every second
Battle Honour a Regiment earns,
impose a new Regimental Drawback
on the unit.
It is recommended that the
Regiment Points provided by such a
Drawback be no greater than 3, to
avoid inflicting excessive penalties
on the Squad over time. The effects
of these Drawbacks may be
temporary or permanent at the GM's
discretion, and they provide no
actual new Regiment Points to
purchase gear/abilities, etc.,
regardless of their unit of origin.
of this Regiment pay half the XP cost to
purchase their first rank in the Tech-Use,
Trade (Armorer) or Trade (Technomat)
Skills. Additionally, they gain a +20 to
Logistics Tests to acquire the piece of
equipment in question.
Mobility Warfare Honour
This battle honour covers any engagement
involving a battle of maneuver over a wide
area, sometimes (but not always) with
vehicles or cavalry. Members of this
Regiment pay half the XP cost to purchase
their first and second ranks in the Navigate
skill.
Specific Enemy Honour
This honour covers protracted battle or
battles with one specific variety of enemy,
such as a Xenos species. Members of this
Regiment automatically gain the Hatred
and Enemy Talents related to the specific
foe they were facing.

Trench Assault/Siege Honour

This battle honour covers any engagement
involving an attack against a heavily
fortified enemy position. Members of this
Regiment pay 100 xp less to purchase the
following Talents: Nerves of Steel,
Calculated Barrage, Modify Payload, and
Evasive.

Raiding/Guerilla Honour
This honour commemorates a battle
involving a rapid, unexpected attack or
flanking movement against an unprepared
enemy position. Any member of this
Regiment may reroll one missed attack
against an unaware or surprised target once
per session, though they must take the
second result if it is worse.

Rearguard/Delaying Action Honour

This battle honour is for an engagement
where a small unit stayed behind to cover
the retreat, evacuation or repositioning of a
larger unit of soldiers or civilians. Members
of this Regiment gain a +5 bonus to
Willpower Tests when fighting in
conditions where they are outnumbered or
surrounded by enemy forces.

26
New Guardsman Specialty Limitations on Fire Missions
Artillery Spotter Playing an Artillery Spotter
-15, adjust to three-four-one. Orks character implies that the Squad has
and light armour in the open, recommend at least one artillery regiment within
range of them on the battlefield, or,
-Katyushan vox chatter for instance, an Armoured regiment
free to do a bit of long-range
Nearly every Imperial Guard regiment uses bombardment.
forward observers in some capacity or
others, to guide and direct artillery fire Fire Mission abilities obviously
ordered from behind the lines. Artillery cannot be used if no artillery is
spotters are selected for their observational present in range, the Artillery
skills and coolness under fire; while seldom spotter has no way of contacting
heavily armed, they are the eyes and ears of artillery, or if the Artillery Spotter is
the big guns behind the lines. in a location (such as deep
undergroud) where conventional
Artillery spotters are distinct from the artillery might not reach.
higher-ranking Masters of Ordnance.
Spotters usually have authority only over When choosing artillery types for
regimental or divisional-level artillery the Saturation Fire Mission, the GM
pieces, rather than the theatre-wide should consider first what types of
command reach of their counterparts. artillery are in range. A Squad
involved in a siege or ambush-type
Characteristic Bonus: +5 Perception scenario would obviously have access
Starting Aptitudes: Agility, Fellowship, to more and better artillery than one
Leadership, Perception, Fieldcraft, operating behind enemy lines, for
Offense, Intelligence instance. Next, consider scaling the
Starting Skills: Awareness, Navigate type and strength of artillery to the
(Surface), Stealth or Tech Use, Scholastic Logistics rating of the Squad, and
Lore (Tactica Imperialis) their relative strategic importance; a
Starting Talents: Formidable or Heightened squad of fresh recruits might get a
Senses (Sight) and Vigilant, Weapon mortar round or two, while a unit of
Training (Las or Solid Projectile, Low- hardened veterans should be trusted
Tech) to direct Basilisk or Manticore
Specialist Equipment: Handheld Targeter, batteries.
Magnoculars, Vox-Caster
Tireless Observer:
Wounds: 8 + 1d5
Type: Passive
Cost: 300 xp
Artillery Spotter Advances:
covers
their flanks and keeps a doubled watch
upon the enemy. As long as the Artillery

27
 Spotter makes a Challenging (+0) Ballistic
a +20 to any Test to locate and identify Skill Test and indicates a point (and not a
enemy positions, strong points, mustering character) on the battlefield within line of
areas, hidden forces, etc. on the battlefield. sight. In 1d5-1 Rounds (to a minimum of 1),

Support Fire Mission: Logistics Bonus from a piece of Field,

Type: Order (Half Action) Mortar or Rocket-type artillery of the
Cost: 400 xp hit near the designated
The Artillery Spotter and his Comrade feed position; roll on the Scatter Diagram for
targeting data to a nearby light artillery each round to determine direction; each
unit, calling in a small fire mission to better round scatters by 20 meters, minus 2 meters
enable them to observe or traverse the for every Degree of
battlefield. Success on the Ballistic
Skill Test, to a minimum
As part of this order, the Artillery Spotter of 1.
makes a Challenging (+0) Ballistic Skill Test
and indicates a point (and not a character) This ability
on the battlefield within line of sight. At may only be
the end of the round, a mortar round hits used a
near the designated position; roll on the number of
Scatter Diagram to determine direction; it times per
scatters by 2d5 meters, minus 1 meter for mission equal
every Degree of Success on the Ballistic to half the
Skill Test, to a minimum of 1.
Logistics
The Artillery Spotter may call in any one of Bonus,
the specialized Mortar Rounds found on rounded
page 183 of the Only War Core Rulebook. up
(minimum 1).
Saturation Fire Mission:
Type: Order (Full Action)
Cost: 500 xp
The Artillery Spotter
and his Comrade
coordinate with several
nearby artillery
batteries to call in a
substantial volley of
fire on their target.

As part of this
Art by Anton Moscowsky
order, the Artillery

28
New Support Specialist Options Guard), Scholastic Lore (Tactica
Junior Officer Imperialis), Navigate (Surface)
Only thing more dangerous than Langeter rockets Starting Talents: Heroic Inspiration or
is a fresh-commissioned lieutenant with something Combat Formation, Weapon Training
to prove. (Chain, Las or Solid Projectile, Low-Tech)
-Sergeant-At-Arms Jean-Claude Starting Traits: Overseer
Mireaubert, Brumeran Korpogardistos Specialist Equipment: Good-Craftsmanship
Laspistol or Good-Craftsmanship
Junior Officers are the lowest rung of the Autopistol, Chainsword or Good-
Im Craftsmanship Mono-Sword, Commbead
structure, having received a modicum of Wounds: 8 + 1d5
tactical and strategic training at one of the
Junior Officer Advances:
Though some are elevated from the ranks
of experienced Sergeants and other non- Instead of gaining a Comrade, a Junior
commissioned officers, far too often these Officer is accompanied at all times by a
Imperial lieutenants are ill-trained, Troop Formation of Guardsmen (using the
overconfident, or just stats on page 372 of the
utterly emotionally Only War Core Rulebook, and
unsuited for the needs of the Formation rules from
command. page 124 of Enemies of the
Imperium). This Formation
Casualties at the Junior has a starting Magnitude
Officer level are of 4.
substantial, but a new discretion, these
officer who can find the Guardsmen may assist the
courage, luck or tactical Junior Officer and other
acumen to use the members of the Squad in
platoon of men assigned Tests, but do not otherwise
to them effecively can count as Comrades. The
find themselves quickly
rising up the ranks. refreshed up to full
strength at the end of
Characteristic Bonus: +5 every mission, as new
Fellowship troops are assigned to
Starting Aptitudes: them.
Fellowship, Social,
Leadership, Offence, A Junior Officer may also
Defence, Fieldcraft purchase the following
Starting Skills: Command, Advances:
Common Lore (Local
Front, War, Imperial Art by Stugmeister.

29
Reinforcements:
Type: Passive
Cost: 100 xp
The vast majority of Imperial Guard
regiments function best in large numbers,
where they can outmaneuvre the enemy and
then drown them in massed firepower.
Each time the Junior Officer takes this
Advance, they may increase the Magnitude
of their Formation by 1 Guardsman. This
Advancement may be taken any number of
times, provided the Formation never
exceeds 12 members.
Squad Gunners:
Type: Passive
Cost: 200 xp
All but the most desperately under-armed
or tactically uncreative Imperial Guard
regiments field special or heavy weapon
troopers of some kind.
Each time the Junior Officer takes this
advance, they may equip one Guardsman in
their Formation with their Regimental
Favored Heavy Weapon, or one other
Heavy Weapon of their choice, subject to
Regiment. The Guardsmen so equipped are
considered to possess the Talents needed to
operate these weapons without penalty.
They function as Special Weapon Troops
(see page 125 of Enemies of the Imperium.)
This Advance may be taken up to 2 times.
Confidence in Command:
Type: Passive
Cost: 300 xp
As a Junior Officer gains in confidence and
experience on the battlefield, they become
more comfortable in directing the actions
of their men to greater tactical effect.
30
Each time the Junior Officer purchases this
advance, they gain the ability to use one of
the Severan Dominate Commands featured
on page 130 of Enemies of the Imperium. This
Advance may be taken up to 4 times, and
the same Command cannot be purchased
more than once.
Customizing Formations
Playing a Junior Officer involves having
command over a substantial tactical unit of
might want their Formation to match those
Guardsmen already present in their
Regiment. The GM might consider
allowing a Junior Officer player to apply all
the bonuses, penalties and equipment
granted by their chosen Regiment. This
implies a bit more book-keeping on the
part of a player, but also makes the
Formation unique.
What about Commanders?
The Junior Officer is obviously a different
take on the Commander Advanced
Specialty, though both have different roles
and functions on the battlefield. Rules as
written they should be able to coexist;
consider fluffing a Commander as, say, a
Corporal or squad-level NCO, while a
Junior Officer is a bit higher up the food
chain but less involved with the direct
operations of a group of soldiers.
Junior Officers in Vehicle Regiments
with
Formation rules. When dealing with a
Junior Officer in an Armoured regiment,
consider refluffing them as an Armoured
Fist squad tasked with backing up the tanks,
maybe?
Sutler Starting Skills: Commerce +10, Inquiry,
Scrutiny, Common Lore (Imperial Guard,
Administratum), Scholastic Lore
starch, rotgut, lho sticks and ammo! And I got all (Bureaucracy)
Starting Talents: Munitorum Influence, Peer
-Sutler Scuggins, Bellagian 88th s (Administratum or Black Market), Ears to
the Ground, Weapon Training (Las or Solid
Projectile, Low-Tech)
The representatives of the Munitorum on Specialist Equipment: Good-Quality Stub
the battlefield, Sutlers are effectively Revolver with Expander Rounds or Good-
combat supply officers. Mainly charged Quality Laspistol with Red-Dot Laser
with protecting convoys of goods to the Sight, Survival Suit, Auto-Quill
frontlines, they also Wounds: 7 + 1d5
serve as useful Sutler Advances:
merchants for The best Sutlers work alone on
equipment, food the battlefield. Though they may
and luxuries that have networks of contacts, and find
themselves swarmed by supplicants
normally be able to and hangers-on when in camp, they
acquire from their know that if you want something
regiments. done right, you do it yourself. Sutlers
Just as often do not gain a Comrade, but they can
outright buy the following advances for
thieves and themselves.
fraudsters as they
are honest Deep Pockets:
businessmen, Type: Passive
the Cost: 400xp
Once per character per combat, the
vast and Sutler can dig around and scrounge up
disorganized Sutler a few extra rounds of specialty ammunition
Corps weaves its tenuous grasp throughout to give to their companions. A character
the Astra Militarum. Sutlers can be found within 2m of the Sutler can load their
on any battlefield where there are logistics current weapon with one Clip full of one
to be managed, troops with disposeable unusual ammunition, generated via Table 1:
income, and loot to be stolen. Sutler Ammunition. They must spend their
next action(s), as many as are needed,
Characteristic Bonus: +5 Fellowship reloading. At the end of combat, any
Starting Aptitudes: Toughness, Fellowship, remaining ammunition in the clip is lost as
Social, Defence, Fieldcraft, Perception, it returns to the Sutler's vast mess of
Knowledge trinkets and gewgaws. Bullets don't grow
on trees, after all.

31
Table 1: Sutler Ammunition Waste Not, Want Not:
d10 Autoguns Location Type: Passive
1-3 Tracer Rounds Hammer, 123 Cost: 200xp
4 Amputator Rounds Core, 193 The Sutler's allies know that resources are
5 Bleeder Rounds Core, 193 at a premium on the battlefield, and that
6 Dumdum Bullets Core, 193 be trusted to contribute
7 Expander Rounds Core, 193
8 Man-Stoppers Core, 194 Any Player Character with a Sutler in their
9 Subsonic Stub Rounds Vol. 3, 37 party gains a +5 bonus to any Test to locate
10 - valuable or useful salvage on the battlefield.
Shotguns The Sutler gains +10 to such tests.
1-3 Tracer Rounds Hammer, 123 Additionally, the GM may secretly Test
4-5 Amputator Shells Core, 193
6-7 Inferno Shells Core, 194 hidden gems of gear or other valuables.
8-9 Solid Slugs Hammer, 123
10 - You Owe Me:
Lasguns Type: Passive
1-2 Hotshot Charge Pack Core, 194 Cost: 500xp
3-4 Lo-Charge Pack Vol 3, 35 Sutlers are the social heart of the
5-6 Blitz Pack Vol 3, 34 Munitorum, spreading rumors, favors and
7-8 Scrapmaker Pack Vol 3, 37 gossip as fast as they redistribute material
9 MPCP Vol 3, 35 wealth. Further, because they are
10 Sutl - technically outside the chain of
Plasma Guns command, their social influence can spread
1-5 Tough Luck! - surprisingly far, and influence those whose
6-7 Dust Cell Vol 3, 34 authority would otherwise be inviolate. A
8-9 Filament Cell Vol 3, 35 Sutler with this ability can use their
10 QG Cell Vol 3, 37 network of contacts and debtors to make
things happen on the battlefield, and fast.
Circle the Wagons:
Once per session, a Sutler can decide to pull
Type: Free Action
Cost: 300xp
to any one test by themselves or an ally to
Sutlers seldom see offensive combat, but
get a favor from a superior officer or
any supply officer worth their salt has an
member of an allied force who otherwise
eye for the defensive. At the end of each
does not answer to them. This Test ignores
turn in which they do not enter Overwatch,
any penalties for poor reputation or
a Sutler automatically gains a free use of the
Dispositions, and invokes no extra penalties
Overwatch action, and can make one Single
if it fails. Such a test could be used to
Shot attack against the first enemy that
requisition an armoured vehicle, call in (or
enters their standard cone of fire. This
call off) an artillery strike, request
attack cannot trigger Righteous Fury. If
emergency medical aid, a stay of execution,
the Sutler dodges or is attacked in melee,
or anything similar.
this effect is lost.
32
Officer of the Fleet Officers of the Fleet represent the link
between the average Guardsman on the
ground and a vast network of aircraft,
-Anonymous Fleet Officer, Ganf Magna satellites, and orbital infrastructure. This
tactical network can provide a Militarum
Officers of the Fleet are just that, Imperial Squad with up-to-the-minute navigational
Navy officers embedded within Imperial and tactical positioning.
Guard regiments to direct and coordinate
with Aeronautica Imperialis aircraft and The Officer of the Fleet, and members of
voidships. They provide a valuable the Squad they are in, gains a bonus to
command and control link between the Navigate tests, and any test to estimate
boots on the ground and the firepower in enemy movements, force concentrations or
orbit, and are an incredibly valuable force tactical composition, equal to three times
multiplier in situations where air superiority
can be maintained. mission per character, when they fail such a
Test, they may immediately reroll it; they
Characteristic Bonus: +3 Fellowship, +3 must take the second result, even if it is
Perception worse.
Starting Aptitudes: Leadership, Social,
Perception, Offense, Defense, Ballistic
Skill
Starting Skills: Awareness, Command,
Common Lore (Imperial Navy), Operate
(Aeronautica), Scholastic Lore
(Astromancy) or Navigate (Stellar)
Starting Talents: Peer (Imperial Navy), Air
of Authority or Combat Sense, Weapon
Training (Any two of Las, Solid Projectile,
Bolt, Low-Tech)
Specialist Equipment: Naval Pistol or Bolt
Pistol, Good-Craftsmanship Microbead,
Carapace Chestplate, Magnoculars
Wounds: 6 + 1d5
Officer of the Fleet Advances:

Officers of the Fleet do not gain a

Comrade, but they can buy the following
advances for themselves.

Eyes in the Sky:

Type: Passive
Cost: 200 xp Art by Dirk Loechel.

33
Strafing Run:
Type: Order (Half Action)
Cost: 300 xp
The main role of the Officer of the Fleet is
calling in air strikes, and these most
commonly manifest as strafing runs by
whatever Imperial fighter craft are in the
area. Though these attacks are seldom
damaging enough to seriously harm large
targets, they are excellent for breaking up
and disrupting infantry.
A number of times per mission equal to half
the Officer of the Fleet may call in a
strafing run. They designate an area 5
meters across by 10 x their Logistics Bonus
meters long within line of sight, and make a
Difficult (-10) Command Test. If they
succeed, at the end of the round, every
enemy character within the area must pass a
Difficult (-10) Pinning Test with a penalty
eq
Success. If they fail by more than 4 Degrees
of Failure, they immediately take a single
Heavy Bolter hit to their Body location.
Strike Mission:
Type: Order (Full Action)
Cost: 500 xp
When heavily-armoured foes rear their
heads, the Officers of the Fleet direct the
attack aircraft to reduce them to ruin.
A number of times per mission equal to half
the Officer of the Fleet may call in a strike
mission against nearby large targets. They
must pass a Hard (-20) Command Test. If
they succeed, they may select a number of
vehicles or characters of Size Hulking (5) or
larger within line of sight equal to their
34
Degrees of Success. At the end of the next
round, if they are still out in the open, each
of these targets must pass Hard (-20)
Dodge test or Hard (-20) Operate (Surface)
Test or take one hit from a Lascannon to
the Body or Rear Facing, plus one extra hit
for every three Degrees of Failure.
Where are the planes, though?
As with Artillery Spotters, playing an
Officer of the Fleet character
implies a battlefield where the
Imperial Navy is present. This
imposes some complications on
things, mostly on the GM side.
First off, what kind of Navy units
are available? Are there PDF aircraft
present instead? Next, are they
actually capable of getting to the
request for a strike mission or
strafing run? For an Officer of the
Fleet to be most effective, it may be
worth it to run missions destroying
or suppressing local anti-aircraft
guns, or risk losing the ability to call
in strikes.
Lastly, air strikes will obviously be
delayed, impeded or thrown off-
course by extreme range, low fuel
and ammunition, and even bad
weather. They also c
if the Officer of the Fleet has no way
in a location (such as deep
undergroud) where aircraft weapons
New Advanced Specialty Options
Air Controller
We see your smoke signal, Vigilance Alpha.
- of Aeronautica Imperialis gunships
Most Imperial Navy officers are content to
remain well behind the lines, directing fire
are those Officers of the Navy who choose
to direct aerial strikes from as close to their
targets as possible, making the best use of
elements, like Valkyrie and Vendetta
gunships. Though they expose themselves
to the most danger, they are incredibly
effective in minimizing friendly fire and
efficiently as possible.
Prerequisite Speciality: Officer of the Fleet
New Aptitudes: Leadership, Social,
Fieldcraft, Perception, Offense, Toughness
New Talents: Lockdown and Haze of War or
Open-Air Operations
Specialist Equipment: Good-Craftsmanship
Naval Pistol or Good-Craftsmanship Bolt
Pistol, Good-Craftsmanship Microbead,
Deadspace Earpiece, Light Carapace
Specialist Advances:
Air Cover:
Type: Passive
Cost: 300xp
Even a few stray shots from nearby aircraft
can provide a huge force multiplier in a
tight combat scenario, reminding enemy
forces not to poke their heards out of cover
for too long.
Whenever the Air Controller or a member
of their Squad succeeds on an Overwatch
35
Helos in the AO
alty,
which naturally implies the presence
nearby and in comms range. For a
high-ranking Squad with an Air
Controller, it might make sense for
the GM to assign a dedicated
Valkyrie or Vendetta gunship to
provide them with both transport
and fire support. Just remember, of
anti-aircraft weapons, air strikes
suddenly become a much riskier
proposition.
attack, the Air Controller may cause the
attack to deal damage as if it were made
with a Heavy Bolter, as nearby aircraft rain
fire on the target. This ability may be used
once per encounter for free; every
activation after the first costs 1 point of
Logistics.
Guided Missile Strike:
Type: Order (Free Action)
Cost: 300xp
Though expensive to manufacture, the
represent the pinnacle of high-accuracy
firepower. When the Air Controller makes
a Full Aim Action against a target, they may
also make a Hard (-20) Command Test; if
they succeed, that target is immediately
struck by a Hellstrike Missile.
discretion, due to the guided nature of the
Hellstrike, this attack may be able to hit
targets inside buildings, behind cover, etc.
This ability may be used any number of
times per encounter, but each use after the
first costs 1 point of Logistics.
Incendiary Bombing Run:
Type: Order (Full Action)
Cost: 500 xp
Promethium munitions are inexpensive,
easy to transport, and guaranteed to put the
fear of the Emperor into the enemies of
Mankind.
A number of times per mission equal to the
Air Controller
may call in a Promethium bombing run.
They must pass a Challenging (+0)
Command Test. If they succeed, they
designate a 30-degree cone-shaped area
with a length equal to 10m x their Logistics
Bonus within line of sight. At the end of the
next round, all targets within the area must
make a Hard (-20) Dodge test or Hard (-20)
Operate (Surface) Test or take a single hit
from an Inferno Cannon (which here
36
represents an explosion of burning
Promethium).
For the next 1d10 rounds, this area is
Dangerous Terrain and is full of Smoke.
Alternate Munitions
Promethium air strikes are well and
good, but sometimes the Squad will
find itself fighting enemies like the
flame weapons. In these situations,
the GM might consider re-statting
the Incendiary Bombing run as a
Plasma Bombing Run (doing damage
as per a Plasma Cannon), or a Melta
Bombing Run (doing damage as per
a Multi-Melta).
Caravaneer
your
trench run?
-Traditional song of the Regonian 87th
The Munitorum by and large uses
spaceborne vehicles to distribute its
supplies, but as always the Imperial Navy
cannot be everywhere at once. In places
where Imperial fronts are stretched thin,
using their skill and tenacity to transport
war materiel, food, and key personnel
through unbelievably hostile conditions.
The Caravaneers, as they are known, take
on many forms- some might be
commanders of large convoys of transport
vehicles, always on the alert for predatory
raiders, while others might be the drivers of
huge herds of food animals or beasts of
burden, wary for those who might try to
interrupt their trek. Armed with
lightweight gear, a can-do attitude and a
talent for survival in harsh environments,
they roam the rear lines of the Guard,
delivering supplies wherever they need to
go. There is no official training to become a
Caraveneer, nor is it anything like an
official title- rather, it is a role that many
Sutlers find themselves falling into as the
situation demands it. They are a hardy lot,
and their presence on a distant battlefield
may be the only connection with
civilization a Guardsman has.
Prerequisite Speciality: Sutler
New Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Tech or
Toughness, Social, Agility, Fieldcraft,
Perception, Knowledge
37
New Talents: Either and
Excellent Cook or Ace Operator or Skilled
Rider
Specialist Equipment: Mono-Groxwhip or
Good-Craftsmanship Hand Cannon or
Hotshot Laspistol, Cavalry Mount with
Riding Tack or Centaur Carrier or Dvalinn
Specialist Advances:
Ornery Cuss:
Type: Passive
Cost: 300xp
Mounted Caravaneers are famous for their
foul attitude, lack of patience for the
incompetent, and refusal to die under the
direst circumstances. The same often
applies to their mounts. The Caravaneer
gains a +10 to any Tests to resist taking
levels of Fatigue, and can ignore their first
level of Fatigue so long as they are
mounted. Their Mount gains the Enduring
Mount Trait (See Hammer of the Emperor
p.137). If it already has Enduring, it
increases its Toughness by 5.
Bodger:
Type: Passive
Cost: 300xp
Through an ingenious collection of
kludges, jury-rigging and unsanctioned
modifications that would make a Techpriest
weep, Caravaneers keep their vehicles
running whatever the cost. As a Full Action,
a Caravaneer can make a Challenging (+0)
Intelligence Test to cause a vehicle to
ignore the effects of one of the following
Vehicle Conditions for 24 hours x their
Intelligence Bonus. This ability can only be
active on a single vehicle at a time.
• Fire Damaged
• Motive Systems Impaired
• Targeting Systems Destroyed
 • Weapon/Turret Locked Skill Tests to hit, and a bonus to their
• Weapon Disabled Damage equal to one half their Perception
If these modifications are ever discovered Bonus, rounded up.
by an unfriendly or otherwise high-ranking
member of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Convoy Master:
Caravaneer gains the Enemy (Adeptus Type: Passive
Mechanicus) Talent. This can happen Cost: 400xp
multiple times, and the effect will stack. Every Imperial supply convoy overland will
attract hangers-
Mounted on of some kind.
Rifleman: Some are
Type: Passive harmless, but in
Cost: 400xp the thick of
To protect a battle the last
supply caravan, a thing any
Caravaneer must Caravaneer
first protect wants to find is
themselves, and that someone has
the best know nicked their
that mobility is cargo. To that
the key to end, they exhort
defense when vehicle crews to
dealing with a keep an eye out
long, slow for trouble.
supply train. To Whenever the
this end, many other crew
Caravaneers members of a
become superb vehicle a
mounted Caravaneer is
riflemen, capable riding or
of aimed shots operating make
from the back of Overwatch
beasts that would attacks, they
put marksmen to increase the
shame. When damage of those
making Single attacks by one
Shot ranged half the
attacks from the
back of a Mount, Perception
a Caravaneer Bonus, rounded
gains a +10 on up.
their Ballistic

38
Dropmaster
promptly to the correct location can turn the tide of
a battle more surely than a
-Tactica Imperialis
Outside of a very small number of Drop
Regiments, the experience of most
Guardsmen with logistical air support is
minimal; supplies are most cheaply
delivered by land, after all. Still, the
Dropmasters of the Fleet are constantly
busy behind the lines, preparing landing
zones for transports and supply craft, and
directly guiding in provisions for isolated
or advance units on the front lines. The
Dropmaster represents the logistical side of
Imperial Navy support; frequently
collaborating with the Sutlers and
quartermasters of the Militarum, they
ensure that the Guardsmen on the front are
provided with the equipment they need,
when they need it.
Prerequisite Speciality: Officer of the Fleet
New Aptitudes: Fellowship, Social,
Perception, Tech, Defense, Knowledge
New Talents: Either Peer (Munitorum) and
Drop Trooper or Munitorum Influence
Specialist Equipment: Data-Slate, Good-
Craftsmanship Commbead, Combitool,
Mag-Boots
Specialist Advances:
Careful Loading:
Type: Passive
Cost: 200 xp
Whether by mathematical training or gut
instinct, Dropmasters know how best to
load up a vehicle with spare equipment and
gear. Any vehicle a Dropmaster has had at
least an hour to pack, repack and prepare
gains a +10 bonus to its Manoeuvrability
39
and increases its Carrying Capacity by 2
until the end of the Mission.
Supply Drop:
Type: Order (Full Action)
Cost: 400 xp
Aerial supply drops are an extremely
common logistical support system for the
Imperial Guard, especially for lighter
airborne regiments who might not be able
to carry substantial reserves of ammunition.
A number of times per mission equal to half
the Dropmaster may make a Challenging
(+0) Command Test. If they succeed, within
1d10 minutes a Drop Canister (see Hammer
of the Emperor, page 125) is deployed near
their position. As part of the initial Test,
the Dropmaster designates their target
zone; if the test fails, the Drop Canister
lands a number of metres away from the
intended location equal to ten times the
Degrees of Failure, in a random direction.
If the Drop Canister would land on top of a
character, it may pass a Challenging (+0)
Agility or Dodge test to get out of the way.
If it fails, it takes 1d10 + 20 Impact damage,
damaged or destroyed.
The Drop Canister may contain one of the
following options, as requested by the
Dropmaster but ultimately determined by
the GM;
•
worth of ammunition
• Up to 45kg of assorted cargo; this
could be lighter weapons,
ammunition, grenades, or any other
human-portable gear.
might be required to make a Logistics Test
to determine if what they ask for is in the
Canister; failure might result in items being
lost, missing or replaced with Random
Issue Gear.
If the Dropmaster requests equipment that
was already Mission Assignment Gear, the
GM is strongly encouraged to have local
Munitorum officials become very curious as
to what happened to the original Mission
Assignment Gear, and why it needed to be
replaced.
delivery of light equipment, vehicles and
other useful materiel by Sky Talon. If they
succeed on the test, they may designate an
area of open space large enough to fit a
Size (7) vehicle within line of sight; in 10d10
minutes, minus 5 minutes for every Degree
of Succees on the initial test, a Sky Talon
arrives to drop off their chosen cargo.
The Dropmaster may pick any one piece of
cargo from Table 2; each has a different
Logistics cost which permanently reduces

Materiel Drop:
Type: Order (Full Action)
Cost: 500 xp
The Sky Talon gunship is the standard
Aeronautica Imperialis heavy gunship,
capable of hauling a wide variety of
heavy loads over long distances. Their
pilots work closely with Navy
Dropmasters, ensuring that equipment
gets where it is needed most.

Any number of times per mission, the

Dropmaster may make a Hard (-20)
Command Test to requisition the

Table 2: Materiel Drops

Equipment Logistics Notes
Cost
Sabre Gun Platform 1d5 Dropmaster specifies weapon.
Tarantula Sentry Gun 1d5 May be either Metalica or Hadd-Pattern. Dropmaster specifies
weapon.
Cyclops 1d5 Includes remote control.
Pack Howitzer 1d5 Includes 12 rounds, any number of which can be HEAT rounds.
Centaur 1d5 +1 -
Tauros/Tauros 1d5 +2 Dropmaster specifies weapon for standard Tauros/Venator, and
Venator/Tauros Commando may choose if the Commando is Ramshackle or Rugged.
Sentinel Walker 1d5 +2 Dropmaster specifies weapon.
Prefab Fortification 2d5 A 5m x 5m x 1.5m rockcrete (16 AP) bunker fitted with firing slits
for up to 12 Guardsmen; comes fitted with an explosive anchoring
system that latches on to whatever surface it is dropped on.

40
Innovator
used drop
canisters to disrupt Orkish raid. Note to self:
promote him when the
-From the diary of Lord General Scabeus
duFoure
For all its many flaws, the Astra Militarum
represents a true meritocracy; soldiers who
perform well and demonstrate a flair for
command will quite often rise up the ranks
by reason of their skill along, regardless of
background or social status. Such
innovators often attract negative attention
from their compatriots, whether through
jockeying for promotion, class issues or
jealousy, but those who survive the
politicking go on to be some of the
An Innovator is an informal designation for
a Junior Officer who is willing to push the
bounds of the Tactica Imperialis, and the
general regulations of the Guard, in pursuit
of victory. Creative and unpredictable on
the battlefield, they lead their squads to
victory in the most surprising ways.
Prerequisite Speciality: Junior Officer
New Aptitudes: Fellowship, Social,
Leadership, Intelligence, Perception
Fieldcraft
New Talents: Combat Sense and Evasive or
Paranoia
Specialist Equipment: Commbead, plus any
three of the following: Good-Craftsmanship
Magnoculars, Chameleoline Cloak, 3
Smoke Grenades, 3 Demolition Charges,
Combi-Tool, Signal Jammer, Stummer,
Regimental Favored Basic Weapon
Specialist Advances:
41
Unconventional Armaments:
Type: Passive
Cost: 200 xp
The sheer variety of strange and unusual
weapons available to the Imperium means
that an officer can adapt the loadout of
their squad to just about any situation,
rules a little.
The Innovator may choose to equip one
extra Guardsman in their Formation as a
Special Weapons Troop, as per the Junior
Squad Gunners Advance. In
addition, if they capture alien, heretical or
otherwise exotic weaponry, they may
choose to have one of their Special
Weapons Troops wield that weapon, and
they are considered to have all the Talents
needed to operate it effectively.
Trouble Shaker:
Type: Passive
Cost: 200 xp
When you start making waves in an
organization as hidebound as the Guard,
d to attract the wrong kind of
attention.
The Innovator gains a +20 bonus to social
Tests to cover up rules transgressions,
distract official attention, delay
investigations, or otherwise keep them and
their Squad out of disciplinary troubles.
Unconventional Tactics:
Type: Passive
Cost: 500 xp
Innovative and unusual tactical planning
can be the result of long study, spur-of-
the-moment improvisation, or even
genuine strokes of inspiration; whatever it
is, it can have a potent effect on the
battlefield.
Every time the Innovator makes a
Perception, Navigate (Surface) or
Intelligence-based test to analyze a
combat situation, potential battlefield, or
tactical engagement, they gain a single
Tactic Point if they score three or more
Degrees of Success. An Innovator may

to their Intelligence Bonus, and they are

lost at the end of each combat.
In combat, the Innovator may spend a
Tactic Point at the start of their turn to
grant their Formation one of the
following bonuses:
• The
their next turn gains Crippling,
Snare or Felling (X), where X is

•
is doubled, and it ignores penalties
from difficult or dangerous
terrain. These bonuses last until

turn.
• The Formation reduces magnitude
damage from all sources by 1, to a
minimum of 0, until the end of its
next turn.
• A space adjacent to the Formation
contains a Snare Mine with a
detection radius equal to the
s Perception Bonus,
fitted with a grenade taken from the

• The Formation immediately hides

or scatters; if the Innovator passes a
Challenging (+0) Command Test
their Formation is now considered
hidden from the enemy until their
next attack.

42
Inquisitorial Agent
-Informal anthem of the Ixaniad
Inquisitorial Tempestus
Generally, the Inquisitorial
Stormtroopers stand apart
from their more
conventional Tempestus
brethren, and their
training is far more
couched in secrecy
Tempestus Scions. The
personal enforcers of
the Inquisition, as well
as guards for the
nightmarish Black
Ships and hidden
Inquisitorial facilities,
these elite soldiers are
trained to fight off
threats that attack the
soul as much as they do the
Stormtroopers who serve alongside the
Imperial Guard, however, are merely
regular Stormtroopers who, whether
through personal valor, uncommon
fortitude or sheer misfortune have captured
the attention of an Inquisitor. Fast-tracked
for mental fortitude training and equipped
with gear significantly better than their
compatriots, they are often deployed to
bolster conventional forces in the fight
against xenos psykers or the works Chaos.
Their combat tactics lack much of the
mobility of their peers- it is useless to
attempt to outrun beings whose minds are
their deadliest weapons, after all. On the
battlefield, they act as an unyielding
43
bulwark of faith to turn back the darkness
wrought by the enemies of Man.
Prerequisite Speciality: Stormtrooper
New Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Fieldcraft,
Finesse, Knowledge, Willpower,
Leadership
New Talents: Either Resistance (Psychic
Powers) and Jaded or Inspire Wrath
Specialist Equipment: Good-
Craftsmanship Stormtrooper
Carapace, Good-Craftsmanship
Hotshot Lasgun with Laser Sight
and the Sanctified Quality
Specialist Advances:
Divine Inspiration:
Type: Order (Half
Action)
Cost: 400xp
Once per combat, an Inquisitorial
Agent may spend a Half Action to
allow all allies within a radius equal to
their Willpower Bonus to gain the
positive effects of a single Talent
the Agent knows until the end of
their next turn, even if they do not
meet the prerequisites.
Sanctified Firepower:
Type: Order (Full Action)
Cost: 500xp
As a Full Action, an Inquisitorial Agent can
make an Ordinary (+10) Command or
Intimidate Test- if the test succeeds, the
weapons of all allies within 5 meters gain the
Sanctified and Proven (X) Weapon
Qualities, where X is 2 + the number of
Degrees of Success scored on the test, to a
maximum of 6. This effect lasts for the
remainder of combat.
Intruder
-Tempestus Major Samuel Pliskin,
moments before garroting an Ork
Kommando
The Tempestus has many units who
function as infiltrators or covert insertion
troops, operating under cover of darkness,
sensor jamming or Cameleoline to encircle,
pin down and instil terror in their enemies.
Those from these regiments who truly
excel at tactical espionage, who are not just
good soldiers but good intelligence
officers, are trained as Intruders. Their
instruction brings them nearly to the level
of skill of the nightmare agents of the
Officio Assassinorium; like ghosts or
serpents, they slowly and methodically
creep their way into enemy fortresses,
leaving a string of dead or unconscious
guards in their wake. Intruders almost
always work alone, supported over vox by a
network of tactical officers, civilian
specialists and Techpriests. Though seldom
seen on conventional battlefields, they
make their presence known in sieges,
occupations or any other situation where
covert operations are the order of the day.
Where they operate, enemy officers have a
knack for turning up dead, or kidnapped,
vital documents seem to disappear from the
middle of heavily-defended compounds,
and terrifying war machines fall prey to
relentlessly precise sabotage. When an
Intruder is present, the very nature of war
changes.
Prerequisite Speciality: Stormtrooper
New Aptitudes: Agility, Weapon Skill,
Ballistic Skill, Perception, Finesse,
Fieldcraft
44
New Talents: Either Lone Wolf and Ambush
or Crippling Strike
Specialist Equipment: Synskin, Good-
Craftsmanship Preysense Goggles, Best-
Craftsmanship Delileus with Expander
Rounds or Best-Craftsmanship Lascarbine
with Lo-Charge Packs
Specialist Advances:
CQC Mastery
Type: Passive/Reaction
Cost: 200xp
Sometimes the nature of an infiltration
mission means that conventional
engageement with melee or ranged
weapons simply isn't tactically
advantageous. Fortunately, the Intruders
are trained to use their enemies' bodies
against them, turning the tide of a melee
with lightning speed. The Intruder gains a
+10 bonus to Tests made as part of a Stun,
Disarm or Take Down Action.
Once per combat, when engaged in melee
by an enemy, an Intruder may attempt a
Disarm Test as a Reaction with an extra +10
bonus. If the Test succeeds, the enemy
attack fails and the enemy is disarmed as
normal. If it succeeds by more than 3
degrees, the target is also knocked Prone.
Sneaking Mission
Type: Passive
Cost: 300xp
Nothing ruins a prison break or hostage
extraction faster than a loud or clumsy
compatriot, and the Intruders train
constantly to deal with such eventualities.
For a number of minutes per day equal to
within a 5-meter radius of them gain a +20
to all Agility and Perception-based tests.
Long-Range Patroller
-Anonymous, Katyushan 4th Advance
Spotters Motorcycle Unit
The Imperial Navy is always reluctant to
deploy aerial and space forces to a conflict
unless they absolutely must, and the
frequent need amongst the Imperial Guard
for battlefield intelligence has led to the
formation of long-range patrol units.
Operating in environments where orbital or
aerial surveillance is impossible or
impractical, these small Stormtrooper
divisions focus on extreme mobility for
long periods of time, bypassing or
punching through enemy strongpoints to
reconnoitre well behind the lines. Such
soldiers needs must be patient, observant,
and remarkably tenacious, as they may well
operate on missions with little to no
support from their own forces. Most use
customized versions of the Tauros or
similar light vehicles, equipped with
gigantic spare fuel tanks and packed with as
much observation equipment and spare
weaponry as their strained chassis can
manage. In a pinch, this deliberate
overarming allows Patrollers to operate not
just as recon troops, but also as raiding
parties, harassing supply lines and
destroying the lines of communication.
Prerequisite Speciality: Stormtrooper
New Aptitudes: Agility, Tech, Fieldcraft,
Perception, Toughness, Offence
New Talents: Either Resistance (Cold and
Heat) or Tireless
Specialist Equipment: Good-Craftsmanship
Magnoculars, Good-Craftsmanship
45
Survival Suit, Omnitool, Hotshot Laspistol
with Laser Sight
Specialist Advances:
Astra Militarum Taxi Service:
Type: Passive
Cost: 200xp
Often seconded to non-Tempestus units,
the best Patrollers learn quickly how to
keep their passengers (and themselves),
alive on vehicular voyages that would
endanger the lives of lesser men. All allies
within 5 meters of a Patroller gain the
effects of all the Patroller's Heightened
Senses or Resistance Talents. If they
already have the same Talent or Talents,
the effects of the two stack.
Not by Strength but Guile:
Type: Passive
Cost: 300xp
The Patrollers are trained in driving
techniques that even other Stormtroopers
would find almost suicidally dangerous, but
their effectiveness is undeniable. Few foes
are equipped for the sight of a Tauros
Venator careening across the desert on only
two wheels, or a Leman Russ ramping off
the ruins of a bridge. The Patroller gains a
+20 bonus to Operate tests to Jink, perform
Evasive Manoeuvres, or Floor It!
Decisive Firepower
Type: Passive
Cost: 400xp
On the offensive, the Patrollers know that
striking as quickly as possible, and as hard
as possible, can be the deciding factor in
victory. The weapons of any vehicle the
Patroller crews all gain Proven (4).
Master of Ordnance
This is an alternate take on the Master of
Ordnance Advanced Specialty already
position, this whole system will be lost. Do your
present in Hammer of the Emperor, with
mechanics more in-line with the artillery
-Vox chatter, Niva Carl
bombardment abilities used in the Artillery
Spotter Guardsman Specialty. Feel free to
While Imperial Guard Artillery Spotters are
swap in this version of the MoO as your GM
authorized to suggest and direct fire from
divisional or regimental artillery units, the
considerably stronger than the core version
Masters of Ordnance hold much greater
of the character, but also puts a lot more
influence; with their mastery of protocol
ing.
and dialect they can order strikes even from
voidships in orbit, or from the heaviest
As with the Artillery Spotter, much of the
strategic artillery available to the
Militarum.
used in situations that artillery or orbital
strikes cannot physically reach (deep
Prerequisite Speciality: Any Guardsman
underground, inside a large structure, etc.),
New Aptitudes: Agility, Fellowship,
or when there is no supporting artillery
Intelligence, Leadership, Offence,
present.
Perception
New Talents: Either Air of Authority and
When calling in Siege-type weapons,
Combat Sense or Calculated Barrage
discretion is vital on the part of the GM;
Specialist Equipment: Deadspace Earpiece,
these are immensely powerful weapons
Good-Crafstmanship Preysense Goggles,
which can trivialize combat encounters with
Good-Craftsmanship Vid-Relay,
weaker enemies. GMs should balance
Handheld Targeter
combat encounters and tactics based on the
Specialist Advances:
assumption that the enemy knows heavy
artillery is present and has prepared
Continuous Direction:
accordingly.
Type: Passive
Cost: 300 xp
Political and logistical concerns also apply
Masters of Ordnance and their Comrades
here. If the party starts throwing around
are trained to the highest degree of ballistic
Colossus Bombard shells willy-nilly, the
science in the Imperium, and working as a
Munitorum should also get involved; they
team they can relay extremely accurate
will want to know why such expensive
targeting information and fire correction
ordnance is being expended like it grows on
orders to a wide variety of Militarum and
trees.
Imperial Navy forces.
fire an Indirect weapon or call in fire from a
supporting force; he must take the second
Comrade is in Cohesion, once per round he result, even if it is worse. Additionally,
may choose to reroll any one Test made to whenever he rolls of the Scatter Diagram

46
for any weapon with the Indirect quality, he
may roll twice and pick either result.
Hurricane Bombardment:
Type : Order (Half Action)
Cost: 500 xp
The Master of Ordnance and his Comrade
coordinate with artillery batteries in range
to call in accurate and effective fire on their
targets.
As part of this order, the Master of
Ordnance makes a Challenging (+0)
Ballistic Skill or Command Test, and
chooses one of the following options:
Precision Strike: A single round of artillery in
the right place can turn the tide of a battle.
The Master of Ordnance indicates a point
(and not a character) on the battlefield
within line of sight. At the end of their
turn, a single shot from an available piece of
Field, Mortar or Rocket-type artillery of
the Master of Ordnance
designated position. The round scatters by
a a number of meters equal to 5-their
Degrees of Success on the initial Test, to a
minimum of 0.
As part of the initial Test, the Master of
rating by 1 to instead call in a single shot
from a piece of Siege artillery, selected by
the GM.
Creepting Barrage:
artillery strikes moving across the
battlefield both suppresses enemy defences
and blows breaches in their fortifications.
47
The Master of Ordnance designates an
area of ground 5m x their Logistics Bonus
wide by 20 x their Logistics Bonus long.
After 1d5-1 rounds, every character within
the area must pass an Agility test with a
penalty equal to 10 x their Degrees of
Success on the initial Ballistic Skill or
Command Test, or take damage from a
single piece of Field, Mortar or Rocket-
type artillery of th
choice.
Any fortifications, ground-based traps,
landmines, trenches and other
emplacements that might impede the
advance of infantry or vehicles in the area
are destroyed.
might fill the area with Dangerous or
Difficult Terrain.
As part of the initial Test, the Master of
rating by 1d5 to double the width and
length of the bombarded area and inflict
damage as per a piece of Siege artillery,
selected by the GM. The width and length
of the area is calculated based on the
reduction.
Box Barrage: A carefully-calculated
defensive strike surrounds a strongpoint
with a wall of detonations and shrapnel,
delaying or cutting off an enemy advance.
The Master of Ordnance designates a
square area of ground 5m x their Logistics
Bonus wide by 5m x their Logistics Bonus
long. 1d5-1 rounds later, every character not
in this area, but within 100 meters of the
Master of Ordnance, must pass an Agility
test with a penalty equal to 10 x the

Ballistics Skill or Command Test, or take
damage from a single piece of Field,
Mortar or Rocket-type artillery of the
As part of the initial Test, the Master of
rating by 1d5 to inflict damage as per a piece
of Siege artillery, selected by the GM.
Lance Strike:
Type : Order (Full Action)
Cost: 600 xp
It is seldom necessary for the Imperial
Guard to call in the terrifying power of the
guns of the Imperial Navy to protect them;
these are weapons of apocalyptic power,
48
capable of burning off the atmosphere of a
planet.
As part of this order, the Master of
Ordnance makes a Hard (-20) Command
Test and indicates a point (and not a
character) on the battlefield within line of
sight. 1d5 +5 Rounds later, -1 Round for
every Degree of Success on the initial Test,
the ravening beam of an Imperial Navy
Lance weapon hits the designated position.
It has the following profile;
Lance Strike (5d10 + 10 E | Pen 16 | Blast
(4d10 + 5), Concussive (3))
This Order may be used any number of
times per mission; every use after the first
Rating by 1d5.
Model Officer
lady. Continue to work in such a way and I can see
-Lord General Scabeus duFoure, to a
Lieutenant of the Edelweiss Kurassiers
The Astra Militarum is often criticized in
many higher-ranking Imperial circles for
being a hidebound, ultra-conservative
organization of backwards-looking old
fuddy-duddies so lost in protocol and
pro
behinds with two hands.
This is true, to a degree, but the fact
remains that the procedures and protocols
founded on millenia of extremely successful
war-fighting on hundreds of thousands of
fronts. Sticking to the exact letter of the
Tactica Imperialis guarantees that, even if an
officer is not the most creative or flexible in
their tactics, those tactics will be at the very
minimum fairly competent.
A Model Officer is a Junior Officer who
has devoted themselves to just such a study,
learning the tactical and strategic mores of
their Imperium inside and out.
Prerequisite Speciality: Junior Officer
New Aptitudes: Fellowship, Social,
Leadership, Knowledge, Offence,
Fieldcraft
New Talents: Total Recall and Strength in
the Creed or Inspire Wrath
Specialist Equipment: Good-Craftsmanship
Heavy Laspistol or Good-Craftsmanship
Bolt Pistol, Good-Craftsmanship
Chainsword or Power Sword, Commbead.
Laud Hailer
49
Specialist Advances:
Mass Formations:
Type: Passive
Cost: 200xp
The Tactica Imperialis is clear that the
strength in numbers of the forces of
Humanity are some of their greatest assets,
and that large-scale maneuvring allows a
commander to bring the most firepower to
bear on enemy targets.
Each time the Model Officer takes this
Advance, they may increase the Magnitude
of their Formation by 1 Guardsman and
This Advancement may be taken any
number of times, provided the Formation
never exceeds 20 members.
Standard Procedures:
Type: Passive
Cost: 300 xp
At its highest echelons, uniformity and
standard operating procedure is the grease
that turns the wheels of the Astra
Militarum, and a rigid adherence to
protocol brings stability and order amidst
the chaos of a war zone. Those higher up
the regimental chain of command usually
appreciate it when their underlings behave
in a predictable and measurable fashion,
after all.
The Model Officer gains a +10 bonus to all
social tests with higher-ranking members of
their regiment and members of the
Munitorum, as well as all Common Lore
(Administratum, Imperial Guard and War)
tests, and Scholastic Lore (Bureaucracy)
Tests.
By the Book:
Type: Free Action
Cost: 400 xp
The dozens of collected books, essays,
battle reports and other documents that
form the combined Tactica Imperialis
contain nuggets of operational wisdom
covering a huge variety of combat
circumstances from theatre-wide
operational concerns down to the actions
of individual soldiers. Careful reading of
these near-holy books provides an
Imperial commander with all they need
to conduct successful warfare.
At the start of any of their turns in
combat, the Model Officer may make a
Challenging (+0) Scholastic Lore (Tactica
Imperialis) test as a Free Action. If they

Point for every two Degrees of Succees

they make. At any other time in the
combat, they may spend any number of
Tactics Points to gain +1 Degree of
Success on any one Test undertaken by
them or a member of their Formation. A
Model Officer may only bank a total
number of Tactic Points equal to their
Intelligence Bonus, and all stored Tactic
Points are lost at the end of combat.

50
Old Guard
of granite- By the Emperor, they accomplished
with muskets and steel what our artillery and
-Anonymous report on the battlefield
prowess of the Brumeran Korpogardistos.
Every Imperial Guard regiment that has
seen prolonged combat tends to stratify
naturally into two kinds of soldiers; the new
recruits, and the old. The latter are far less
numerous, but infinitely tougher, more
dangerous, and more true to the glorious
traditions of their regiment and
homeworld.
The Old Guard is the consummate veteran
soldier; grumpy, prone to grumbling and
complaining at the drop of a hat, laden
down with strange equipment and trophies
issued, recovered or stolen from foreign
battlefields, and forming a bulwark of
manpower strong enough to crush even the
fiercest of foes. In those Imperial Guard
regiments which do not have regular
demobilization policies, veteran soldiers
can see decades of combat, and those with
the luck and mental fortitude to endure it
all can change the tide of a battle by their
mere presence.
Prerequisite Speciality: Any
New Aptitudes: Same as previous Specialty.
Add one of Fieldcraft, Finesse, Knowledge,
Tech or Social.
New Talents: Either Jaded and any one of
Ambidextrous, Resistance (Pick One), Peer
(Pick One), Evasive, Lone Wolf, Reaction
Fire
51
Becoming an Old Guard
The Old Guard Advanced Specialty is
unlike all others in that it is class-agnostic.
Any Support or Guardsman Specialty can
switch to Old Guard, to represent them
gaining extended battlefield experience
and becoming the crack veterans of their
unit.
However, while the Old Guard does offer
greater flexibility than other Specialties, it
carries with it one major limitation to
represent their long field experience.
A character may only become an Old
Guard after they have passed their
Specialties- in other words, a character
may choose to play an Old Guard only on
their third Specialty switch and up.
Or any one of Crack Shot, Crippling Strike,
Munitorum Influence, Strong Minded,
Formidable, Indefatigable, Low Profile
Specialist Equipment: Same as previous
Specialty; increase the craftsmanship of any
two items by one level, and gain one
Weapon Upgrade with a rarity of Very
Rare or less that can be applied to one
weapon the character has Weapon Training
for.
Specialist Advances:
Grumbler:
Type: Passive
Cost: 300xp
This character has earned, by length or
success of service, a certain leeway in
obeying orders or following perfect
military protocol. Their superiors know
this, and also know that that laxity makes
them all the more ferocious on the attacks for the purposes of calculating
battlefield. damage.

This character gains a +5 bonus to the Grizzled Veteran:

numerical effects of any Orders they Type: Passive
recieve, and reduce all incoming Insanity Cost: 400xp
damage by 1, to a minimum of 0. Prerequisite:
granted them Comrade(s).
Last Man Standing:
Type: Passive This character is a living font of useful
Cost: 400xp combat knowledge, having seen, fought
Prerequisite: and over the myriad horrors of the
granted them no Comrades. Imperium's enemies. Their very presence in
a squad instils discipline, coordination and a
This character has seen hundreds of will to victory that can change the tide of
members of their unit come and go, the the most desperate struggle.
faces blurring together until they cannot
remember who they've served alongside. Whenever this character has his, or any
Through it all, they endure, posting after allied character's Comrade in cohesion, he
posting, battle after battle. gains a +10 bonus to all Tests. All allied
characters in the Squad gain a +5 bonus to
This character gains a +20 bonus to any all Tests when they have a Comrade in
Test to resist Insanity, Fear or Corruption cohesion.
caused by the death of an ally. In addition,
any attack roll against them that rolls
doubles
automatically
hits the nearest
ally's
Comrade. If
there are no
Comrades near
them that
might take
damage, they
instead treat
their
Toughness
Bonus as being
doubled
against such

52
Paymaster
-Personal Motto of Paymaster Donnal
Takarada
It is a common fallacy that the soldiers of
the Imperial Guard are never payed. The
Munitorum promises pay, it is claimed, but
never delivers
course, but there is a grain of truth. The
Munitorum is a vast bureaucracy, and the
funds (in dozens of different sectorial and
regional currencies) often take far too long
to get from the purses of Terra to the
pockets of the common fighting man.
Thus, many Guardsmen are quite used to
being paid late, or too little, or not at all, or
even, say, in decorative seashells or small
cubes of processed metal instead of
standard Imperial coinage.
Paymasters are there to ensure the cash
flows on time, and to the right people.
Naturally, their influence is widespread and
very, very well-respected. Holding the
purse-strings of an entire regiment of
heavily armed soldiers requires more than a
little strength of character, and the few
Paymasters to survive for any length of time
tend to be men and women of remarkable
guile and tenacity.
Prerequisite Speciality: Sutler
New Aptitudes: Command, Willpower,
Social, Defence, Fellowship, Perception,
Knowledge
New Talents: Either Orthoproxy and Peer
(Munitorum) or Munitorum Influence
Specialist Equipment: Carapace Breastplate,
Calculus Logi Upgrade, Interface Port
Specialist Advances:

The bureaucrats of the Munitorum are

uncomfortably aware of this, and, seeking
to reduce instances of
insubordination or outright Money
mutiny, often task trusted Talks:
Sutlers with the job of Type:
supervising regimental pay. Passive
The title of Paymaster is Cost:
strictly speaking 200xp
inaccurate, as it is the Any regimental
regimental quartermaster,
command staff even the wealthy
and ones, knows that
quartermasters
who do the good idea to piss
actual off the guy who
paying, holds the purse-strings.
but the
Any time a party
member might be
called on a to

53

score, a Paymaster may, before the roll is
made, spend a Fate Point to give that roll a
Fellowship Bonus.
Combat Bounties:
Type: Order (Free Action)
Cost: 500xp
Many Imperial regiments issue bounties for
trophies taken from dead enemies, as a way
to incentivize their soldiers to greater
ferocity. Sutlers will often issue slightly less
formal encouragaments, to the same effect.
A Paymaster with this ability may spend a
Fate Point to cause the attacks of all allies
Fellowship Bonus to gain a Damage and
Logistics Bonus. This ability lasts for the
duration of the combat in which it is
activated. It can be activated any number of
times in a session, over multiple combats,
but every activation after the first decreases
to the Fate Point cost.
Dosh Sustain Thee:
Type: Passive
Cost: 400xp
Human beings are, no matter what
they might claim, a greedy species.
The lure of gold, treasures and
riches can drive men mad, but also
sustain them beyond the limits of
human strength.
When a member of a Paym
Squad spends Fate, they may
immediately make a Challenging
(+0) Logistics Test. If they succeed,
54
they gain the effects of the Fate Point, but
the point itself is not spent. If they fail,
they take a number of points of Insanity
equal to their Degrees of Failure + 1. The
Paymaster cannot use this ability
themselves, only grant it to others.
Wolves of the Spinward Front:
Type: Passive
Cost: 300xp
When a front begins to dissolve and turn to
anarchy, or when the order of a regiment
dissolves and its soldiers begin to loot,
pillage and plunder, their first target will
often be regimental cash stores- gold may
not fill the stomach, but it certainly fills the
imagination. Paymasters know they are
always under threat, and seek to defend the
ets with merciless force.
A Paymaster with this ability gains a +10 to
the Opposed Agility Test to act first in
Overwatch. Whenever they make a
succesful ranged Overwatch attack, they
Pinning Test the enemy must undertake
increases in difficulty by an amount equal to
-10, to a
minimum of 5.
Psykana Haplotist
no:
-Master Xavier Yurishima, founder of the
Collegia Haplotica
Though the Tennanlower Haplotists have
long since vanished into the irradiated ruins
of their homeworld, their ideas have spread
across the Galaxy, and some members of
the Psykana still train the occasional
Haplotic psyker. Yet more stumble across
the works of the Haplotists, especially
Xa Una Mens ad
Unius, and embark on the path by
themselves. The result is the same: psykers
who focus on a single discipline to the
exclusion of all others, suppressing most of
their latent abilities in order to force their
specialty to become stronger. Rare on the
battlefield, these overspecialized psykers
can be incredibly devastating, wielding
incredible abilities that go well beyond that
of their conventional brethren, and with
greater stability than most. Becoming a
Haplotist requires considerable mental
effort and a great deal of training- weak
Haplotists tend to end up insane or dead.
Haplotists wield a variety of specialized
equipment developped by the Psykana and
the Collegia Haplotica, but their reliance
on a single psychic discipline can leave them
vulnerable when confronted with the larger
range of abilities available to other Psykers.
Prerequisite Speciality: Sanctioned Psyker
New Aptitudes: Psyker, Willpower,
Intelligence, Offence, Defence, Toughness
New Talents: Haplotic Focus and Haplotic
Talent (See Below)
Specialist Equipment: Hexagrammatic Robes,
Aether Staff, Poor-Craftsmanship
Wavespar Harness
55
Specialist Advances:
Enlightened Overseer
Type: Passive
Cost: 300xp
culmination of w
chosen school of witchery is, and has
learned how best to resist its perils. Many
will go out of their way to warn those
around them of the unpredictable powers
of the Haplotist, to minimize any collateral
damage. As long as the Hapl
Companion is in Cohesion, all allies within
Fellowship Bonus x 2 gain a +20 bonus to
any Test to resist powers of the same
Ways of the Haplotist
cer, pyrokineticist,
diviner. By your powers combined, you are...
-Xavier Yurishima, addressing the Collegia
Each Haplotist selects a single Way, and
focuses on it to the exclusion of everything
else. Upon switching into the Haplotist
Advanced Specialty, select one of the Ways
below. This choice can only be made once
and is permanent. The Way you select must
match the Discipline you selected for the
Haplotic Focus talent.
Way of the Dynamiphore
Discipline: Telekinesis
Haplotic Talent: Lightning Reflexes
Dynamiphores study the power of motion,
and, by the consumption of a variety of
reflex-enhancing substances, become ever-
moving masses of tics and jitters, claiming
that by living in motion they understand
the forces their minds can exert. They are
ferociously able telekines, able to move
immense masses into the air, though their
focus is often overly-precise, and they
struggle to telekinetically control more
than one object at a time.
Grand Defiance: Within an atmosphere,
planetary gravity is the greatest limiter of
motion, or so claim some Dynamiphores.
Their greatest triumph is being able to
exert so much mental pressure they can
ignore gravity entirely. This power allows a
Dynamiphore to make a Very Hard (-30)
Willpower Test as a Full Action to activate
one of two effects. Rolling doubles on the
test or failing it generates Psychic
Phenomena.
1. The Dynamiphore can levitate
themselves, gaining the Flyer (X) trait,
where X is 2 + their Psy Rating. While
flying, they can continue to manifest
powers as normal, but their Psy Rating is
treated as being 2 for the purposes of
manifesting. They cannot manifest the
alternate power of Grand Defiance (see
below) while flying. This power lasts for a
number of rounds equal to their Willpower
Bonus. At the end of the last round, they
settle slowly to the ground, unharmed.
2. Alternately, the Dynamiphore may cast
Grand Defiance on a single object weighing
up to 2000kg x their Psy Rating. They may
continue levitating the object for as long as
they choose, moving it a number of meters
equal to their Willpower Bonus per round.
For ever round after the first 5, they take
one point of Fatigue. When they end the
power, the object drops out of the air.
56
Way of the Numinous Esper
Discipline: Telepathy
Haplotic Talent: Peer (Adeptus Astra
Telepathica)
Numinous Espers believe their path lies
within the thoughts of others, and they are
constantly listening in on the surface
thoughts of all those around them,
subsuming their own personalities in the
babble of their surroundings. Though they
almost always come across as silent or
unemotional, they experience a constant
and overriding empathy. Numinous Espers
almost always get along well with
Astropaths, as the former have an
understanding of the troubles of the latter
yet are much more apt at communicating
their needs to non-psychic individuals.
Many Imperial Guard commanders dislike
working with Numinous Espers even more
so than regular Sanctioned Psykers because
of the absence of privacy their presence
entails, but their combat abilities are
inarguable.
Great Link: The true power of the
Numinous Esper is their ability to break
down the barriers around the subconscious
mind, unlocking the buried thoughts of
human beings and sharing them. These so-
called Great Links synchronzie the
unconscious minds of the Esper and their
targets, causing the entire group
consciousness to think alike- subjects of a
link may not notice it, but they move faster,
react with more coordination and have an
instinctual knowledge of the thoughts of
their allies.
A Numinous Esper can make a Very Hard
(-30) Willpower Test as a Full Action to
create a Great Link between themselves
and a number of allies or enemies within
range equal to 2 x their Willpower Bonus.
Rolling doubles on the test or failing it
causes the Esper to take 1d5 + 5 points of
Insanity, and triggers Psychic Phenomena.
All allied subjects of the link gain the
Unnatural Characteristic (2) Trait for every
single one of their Characteristics, for a
number of Rounds equal to one half the
Upon the end of the final round all
involved in the link must make an Ordinary
(+10) Willpower Test or take a number of
Insanity Points equal to the duration of the
power in rounds. Enemies in the link take a
-2 penalty to all of their Ability Bonuses for
the duration of the power as their minds are
clouded with errant thoughts and psychic
noise, and the Willpower Test they make at
the end of the power is Difficult (-10).
The all-too-frequent side effect of improperly applied Haplotic techniques. Fortunately, this particular mistake was a minor
one, and did not tear open a warp rift.
57
Way of the Planete Aeon
Discipline: Divination
Haplotic Talent: Blind Fighting
Planete Aeons are cold, intellectual masters
of probabilities. They forgo many of the
mystical ties of common Imperial diviners
for a detached and systematic study of
statistical likelihoods and the regular
algebraic patterns that underlie day-to-day
existence. Curiously, one of the most
common forms of study is through mock
combat- Aeons scrutinize fighters to be
able to quantify every single one of their
movements, and develop an ingrained,
academic understanding of the motions of
battle, allowing them to essentially fight by
rote muscle memory even if disoriented by
darkness or injury. Aeons are also
compulsive gamblers, seeing the power of
time, random chance and perhaps even the
fates in the simple mathematical motions of
the dice. Many battlefield commanders find
their pronouncements and their curiously
stilted combat style quite weird, but their
tendency to seemingly generate good luck
has earned them a welcome place in the
Guard.
Rend Chance: The Aeons are not limited to
predicting the future, and can, by focusing
all their strength, alter it. This ability is
outwardly discouraged by the Psykana, but
more high-ranking Aeons than will admit
know how to use it and have. A Planete
Aeon may make a Very Hard (-30)
Willpower Test as a Full Action. If they fail
or get doubles, they trigger Psychic
Phenomena and take 1d5 +1 points of both
Insanity and Corruption as their mind
becomes briefly unstuck from time. If they
succeed, they make pick a single dice roll
made during the next round of combat and
change the result to whatever number they
would like. This can effect their dice rolls,
allied dice rolls, and even the dice rolls of
enemies. Rolls changed by an Aeon cannot
be rerolled or otherwise ignored.
Way of the Journeyman Humorite
Discipline: Biomancy
Haplotic Talent: Sound Constitution
Journeymen are bon-vivants who take joy
in the lives the God-Emperor has given
them. Large of appetite and large of heart,
they make it their purpose to foster growth
and life wheresoever they may be. Their
training, paradoxically, involves want and
deprivation, starving themselves and living
alone in the wilderness until all their
worldly possessions have rotted away. Only
by accepting the joyousness of merely
existing and perservering can they take the
Way of the Humorite, combining their
positive outlook with a great deal of
58
biomantic and medical training. Though
they are not welcome in the field hospitals
of the Imperial Guard in the same way that,
say, Sisters Hospitaller might be, their
grasp over more arcane methods of life-
preservation can bring Guardsmen back
from the most heinous of wounds.
Curiously, it is the Mechanicus who take
objection to the work of the Humorites, for
they feel that the life-energy-manipulation
techniques they have perfected come
dangerously close to violating the
Mechanicus precepts against reanimating
the dead.
Deny Death: By concentrating a truly
immense amount of life energy via the
Warp, a Humorite can force tissue near
them to cling to life even in the face of
devastating wounds, a technique which can
save lives, though at a gruesome cost. As a
Full Action, a Journeyman Humorite may
make a Very Hard (-30) Willpower Test.
Failing the test or rolling doubles triggers
Psychic Phenomena and causes them to take
a number of Wounds equal to their Psy
Rating as the life energy surges out of their
body. If the Test succeeds, all allies within a
10 meter radius are incapable of dying for a
number of rounds equal to 10 + the
ore
any Critical Damage effects that cause
Stunning, Fatigue, Blood Loss or Death,
but not those that cause loss of limbs or
organs, such as Blindness. Once the
duration of the power ends, all those
effected experience the effects of their
critical damage spontaneously as the
energies knitting their tissues together fail.
If they suffered any additional Critical
Damage since the beginning of the power,
they also receive 1 point of Corruption and
Insanity for every point of Critical Damage Willpower Test to enhance the power of all
taken. energetic reactions within a radius of 10+
his Willpower Bonus meters. If the test fails
Way of the Thermifer or rolls doubles, the Thermifer takes 2d10
Discipline: Pyromancy points of Toughness Damage and triggers
Haplotic Talent: Resistance (Heat) Psychic Phenomena. Any weapon or
While the common pyromaniac may take damaging effect with the Energy or
joy in kindling a flame, and the Incinerants Explosive type, including mundane fires,
of the Ministorum zealous passion, the gain a bonus to their Damage and
Thermifers see their abilities as a cosmic
necessity, pushing back the slow Willpower Bonus. This effect lasts for a
inevitability of entropy. For them, it number of Turns equal to 1 + the
matters not from whence the flame flows,
only that it does. Lean, quick-tempered the area of effect as the power ends must
(from years of eating burnt food, as the make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or
pleasures of the flesh are seen as impure), gain 1d5 points of Fatigue from the sudden
and covered with burn scars, the Thermifers wave of heat the end of the reaction
are a grim and humorless lot, until they releases.
enter into combat. When their anger is set
alight, they burn with a screaming, raving
passion that puts even the zealots of the
Imperial Cult to shame, raging against the
dying of the light. The Emperor is their
God of Fire, source of their psychic gift,
and they intend to honour Him on his
Throne with gifts of heat and light. Fire for
the Lord of Flames! Embers for his
Enemies!

Radiant Accelerance: Thermifers do not

merely manipulate flame, but all forms of
heat and high-energy matter, and their
most direct application of this technique is a
powerful one indeed. By converting Warp
energy directly into thermal potential
energy and feeding it into the surrounding
environment, they can vastly accelerate the
movement of particles, turning small fires
into mighty conflagrations and bolts of
high-energy plasma into apocalyptically
powerful weapons. As a Full Action, a
Thermifer may make a Very Hard (-30)

59
Xavier Yurishima, from his days as a Savant stationed with the Valhallan Ice Warriors.
Psykana Savant
crest that ridge. The two on the left will be armed
with axes- squads one and two, you will
neutralize. The two on the right have guns. Leave
-Lieutenant-Savant Vale Revok, in action
with the Edelweiss 114th
Those Sanctioned Psykers who survive
their first encounter with an enemy often
find that promotion comes easily- despite
their training many Sanctionites are
unequipped for battlefield conditions, and
those psykers who can keep their heads
(often literally), or who demonstrate
capable leadership abilities will be
promoted to the rank of Savant, often
assigned squads of novice Combat Psykers
or even ordinary troopers to lead. Though
they tend not to get along well with their
men, for the superstitions against psykers
are understandably well-entrenched, the
close coordination between their
60
supernatural powers and a well-trained
body of men can change the course of
whole battles. Savants are found leading
from the front, spending as much time
issuing commands to their followers as they
do smiting the enemy with psychic energy.
Despite their mystic talents, many Savants
do not stand out much from the troopers
around them- any sensible Savant knows
that survivability and armour protection
override the stylistic tenets of the Psykana
Prerequisite Speciality: Sanctioned Psyker
New Aptitudes: Psyker, Willpower,
Leadership, Social, Fieldcraft, Offense
New Talents: Either Combat Formation and
Air of Authority or Iron Discipline
Specialist Equipment: Suit of Carapace
Armour, Good-Quality Chainsword or
Common-Quality Power Maul, Common-
Quality Bolt Pistol or Good-Quality Hand
Cannon or Good-Quality Hand Flamer,
Psy Focus.
Specialist Advances: number of rounds equal to one half the

Snap Invocation
Type: Passive
Cost: 500xp
The finest combat psykers have learned to
rely on their powers even while deftly
dodging incoming fire or engaged in the
fiercest of melees, and they have learned to
manifest their abilities with remarkable
speed.
In combat, the Savant can choose to
manifest a power at an accelerated rate- a
power requiring a Full Action instead takes
a Half Action, and one that would normally
be a Half Action instead manifests as a Free
Action. They can still only manifest one
power per Turn, any all powers manifested
this way automatically generate Psychic
Phenomena with a +20 on the roll.
Veteran Overseer
Type: Passive
Cost: 200xp
Following a Savant into the fires of battle
is a truly herculean task, especially for a
Psykana Overseer charged with supervising,
controlling and protecting their
companion. The Overseers of Savants tend
to be just as battle-hardened as those they
accompany, and can often coordinate
manoeuvres with their Savant at a nearly
instinctual level.
As long as their Comrade is in Cohesion, a
Savant with this upgrade gets a +5 bonus to
all Dodge, Parry and Awareness Tests on
any turn where they have not manifested
any powers.

Psychic Corona
Type: Full Action
Cost: 300xp
The psychological effect of a combat
psyker, especially against foes unfamiliar
with warp magic, cannot be
underestimated, and many Savants are quick
to exploit this.

As a Full Action, a Savant can concentrate

their abilities in a showy display about their
allies designed to rally friends and terrify
foes. They must make a Difficult (-10)
Willpower Test. If they fail, they take 1
point of Fatigue. If they succeed, all allies

Rating gain the Fear (x) Trait, where X is 1

+ 1 for every 3 degrees of success the Savant
scored on their test. This effect lasts for a

61
Psykana Scholar combatants- while they can still bring to
Emperor has buried all the secrets of bear their psychic might, it is their insights
Mankind in the depths of the great unexplored into any number of strange and obscure
realm of the subconscious- if knowledge is indeed topics that make them most valuable. As
power, then are we, the thinkers, not the most they are generally expected to be
noncombatants, most Scholars are issued
-excerpt from the Librium Mnemonicae fairly heavy defensive gear, and a copy of
the Librium Mnemonicae, a text
Though it is most famed as the trainer and developped by the Psykana which is
overseer of the Sanctioned Psykers, designed to put the reader into a meditative
Astropaths and various other official warp- mindset to better recall information.
manipulating Prerequisite
individuals Speciality:
used by the Sanctioned
Imperium of Psyker
Man, the New
Adeptus Aptitudes:
Astra Intelligence,
Telepathica Knowledge,
is also to a Perception,
large degree Psyker,
a research Willpower,
institution. Defence
Charged New Talents:
with the Either Total
study of all Recall and
things related to the human mind, from Polyglot or Foresight
simple psychology to the biological Specialist Equipment: Hexagrammatic Robes,
functions of psychic manifestation, the Librium Mnemonicae, Poor-Quality
Scholars of the Psykana can be found at Refractor Field, Psy Focus
work all across the Imperium. Most Specialist Advances:
Scholars are trained from a young age,
selected from those Sanctionites who Palace of the Mind
demonstrate a particular gift for study and Type: Order (Full Action)
classical instruction, but more Cost: 200 xp
conventionally-trained veteran psykers who
have been in the right place at the right mind has been shaped by training or habit
time, or who have picked up useful into an intricate maze of imaginary
knowledge in the course of their duties may
be field-promoted to the role of Scholar. arranged data. The Scholar can have their
Their role on the battlefields of Ixaniad comrade recite a series of predetermined
and Calixis is firmly in support of code-phrases that will lock the Scholar into

62
their Mind Palace, deadening their senses Scholar can end their projection as a Full
but greatly increasing their capacity for Action.
recall.
This ability is incredibly draining: it only
A Comrade in cohesion can recite the code lasts for a number of minutes equal to the
words as a Full Action, causing the Scholar inflicts 1d5-1
to enter the Palace for any length of time- levels of Fatigue when ended, and can only
while they are in their Palace they recieve a
+20 bonus to all Intelligence, Toughness body is injured while they are engaged in a
and Willpower-based Tests, but a -20 to all Temporal Projection, the projection is
Agility, Strength and Perception-based immediately returned to their body and
Tests. A Scholar who is in their Palace can they take 1d10 points of Insanity in addition
only make half-action moves until they to the damage of the attack.
leave the Palace. Leaving the Palace
requires a Full Action as they slowly come Dark Secret
back to their senses. Type: Half Action
Cost: 500xp
Temporal Projection The Scholar can look deep within
Type: Full Action themselves and beyond, pulling free arcane
Cost: 500xp knowledge from the depths of their
The Scholar can temporarily transcend subconscious, or even the Warp, and use
their physical form, letting their mind drift their own powers to use it against their
through the physical world unhindered by enemies.
ordinary threats.
Once per Combat, a Scholar
Creating a temporal may make a Hard (-20)
projection requires a Intelligence Test and
Difficult (-10) Willpower designate a single enemy
Test and a minute of target- if the Test succeeds,
meditation, upon which that target loses the benefits
of a single positive Trait, as
treated as Helpless. The selected by the Scholar, for
temporal projection has all the duration of the combat.
the same stats as the If the Scholar fails the Test
Scholar, but has the Phase by more than one degree,
trait. The Scholar can use they take 1d5+1 points of
their psychic powers while Insanity and a number of
they are Phased, but their points of Fatigue equal to
Psy Rating is reduced to 2 their Degrees of Failure, as
and their powers always they dredge up knowledge
trigger Psychic they were perhaps not
Phenomena. At any time, a meant to know.

63
Raider
- Type: Passive
Light Infantry Regiment
Though the tank , skimmer and drop pod
have long proved their worth in breaking
the stalemate of trench warfare, the
Imperium often finds itself in situations
where even such technologies cannot crack
enemy positions. It is for these desperate
attacks against heavily entrenched positions
that the Tempestus Raiders were created.
These elite storm forces forgo many of the
heavy weapons of their more conventional
kin for a focus on mobility, grenades, and
hand-to-hand combat. They rapidly pass
through enemy trench lines, sowing havoc
and softening the defences to prepare for
subsequent attacks. Casualty rates among
Raider units are naturally staggering, but
those few who can survive are some of the
most terrifying close-quarters fighters the
Imperial Guard can muster.
Training Raiders is a long and arduous
process, and thus their numbers are
stretched precariously thin, but even the
presence of one on a trench line can turn a
grinding war of attrition back into a
winnable war of mobility.
Prerequisite Speciality: Stormtrooper
New Aptitudes: Agility, Weapon Skill,
Fieldcraft, Finesse, Offence, Willpower
New Talents: Either Trench Raider and
Evasive or Hip Shooting or Swift Attack
Specialist Equipment: Best-Craftsmanship
Mono Warknife or Best-Craftsmanship
Shock Maul, 2 x Concussion Grenade, 1 x
Krak Grenade, Stormtrooper Carapace
Specialist Advances:
64
Storm Tactics
Cost: 300xp
Raiders have the importance of high-speed,
low-drag shock warfare drilled in to them,
and are more than willing to encourage
their comrades-in-arms to match them. The
by 2 meters. All allies within a 5-meter
radius of the Raider increase their
movement speed by 1 meter and gain a +2
to all Initiative tests.
Terror Weapons
Type: Passive
Cost: 500xp
Though their tactics focus primarily on
light weaponry, the Raiders are no
strangers to the devastating psychological
effects of good, old-fashioned shock and
awe.
Before each mission, a Raider may choose
any two of the following bonuses. They last
for the duration of the mission.
• They automatically score two extra
Degrees of Success on Full-Auto
Bursts with ranged weapons.
• When they do damage with a
weapon with the Flame quality, the
difficulty of the test to resist
catching fire is increased to -20.
• All of their ranged attacks at Short
distances or closer gain +2
Penetration.
• When making attacks with
grenades, they may increase or
decrease their Blast radius by 1.
• Whenever they score more than
three Degrees of Success on a melee
 Crippling (2).
• Their melee attacks gain the
Infiltrator quality.

65
Racketeer toughness and a willingness to do some
nts bodywork, as many criminal gangs demand
of gangsterism, sixteen counts of smuggling
contraband, four counts of moonshining, two new members.
counts of assault on a superior officer, one count of
Prerequisite Speciality: Sutler
-Excerpt from a Bellagian court martial New Aptitudes: Strength, Weapon Skill,
Social, Offense, Fieldcraft, Perception,
Few in the Commissariat would ever care to Knowledge
admit it, but the Imperial Guard, especially New Talents: Either Peer (Underworld) and
those regiments drawn from more Pugilist or Ratling Requisitions or
lawless worlds, is rife with an Sudden Strike
undercurrent of organized crime. On Specialist Equipment: Hot-shot
those planets whose regiments have Laspistol or Good-Craftsmanship
fixed terms of service, gang members Shotgun with Sawn-Off
often deliberately join the Guard Customization, Good-
for paid military training, and Craftsmanship Mono
having ex-Guard enforcers in Trench Dagger or Good-
the ranks is seen as a sign of Craftsmanship Bellagian
quality for any respectable Cosh
mobster. Guard connections Specialist Advances:
can open up a whole new
galaxy of contraband The Battlefield is
smuggling, arms trading, Yours:
drug dealing, and any one Type: Passive
of a limitless number of Cost: 300xp
criminal pursuits. Keeping your hands
clean is a vitally
It is only natural that such important part of any
corruption and venality
would also spread to the Rackereers who
Munitorum, and Sutlers, frequent the Imperial
as individuals already Guard know that
responsible for the ebb
and flow of wealth and to make a mess in
goods into a regiment, defense of your
often find themselves interests. When a
actively or Racketeer enters
unintentionally Overwatch, they may
collaborating with the designated a single one-
criminal element. Such work handed melee weapon in
demands an element of physical their inventory. If they are

66
the target of an enemy melee attack while
in Overwatch, the Racketeer may make a
single standard melee attack against that
target before the enemy resolves their
kills, stuns or otherwise prevents the enemy
from completing their attack, the
Racketeer does not leave Overwatch. If the
enemy attack succeeds and does damage,
the Racketeer leaves Overwatch.
Goons:
Type: Passive
Cost: 200xp
Few truly profitable crimes can be done
without backup, or a little bit of muscle.
The Racketeer gains a Comrade. This
ability can be purchased twice.
Cost: 200xp
Dumb muscle is dumb muscle no matter
where you go in the galaxy- the wrong sort
of people hanging around can often
convince where open threats fail. The
to Weapon Skill and Intimidate Tests while
they are in Cohesion. This bonus does not
stack. If the Racketeer has two Comrades,
any character both Comrades are in
Cohesion with (or direct line of sight of),
also gains a +5 bonus to Logistics Tests.
Friends in Low Places
Type: Passive
Cost: 200xp
The criminal underworld is a social world,
where connections are just as important as
talent. If you served with the right people,
or know people who served with the right
people, you can gain access to circles of
influence that might otherwise be barred to
67
others. Any character (including the
Racketeer) who is accompanied by or in
Comrades gains the effects of the Peer
(Underworld) Talent, or loses the negative
effects of the Enemy (Underworld) Talent
if they had it.
Alternate Takes on the Racketeer
play a Racketeer, but your campaign
much messing around with the
criminal elements underlying the
Guard. A hyper-religious Shrine
World regiment, for instance, might
not have much to do with organized
crime, nor would a regiment of elite
Stormtroopers working directly
under the command of an Imperial
general.
If you find that the Racketeer
campaign, but still want to play one,
simply refluff them. When switching
Specialties to Racketeer, change all
the mentions of Peer or Enemy
(Underworld) in their abilities to a
single other group. A Racketeer with
Peer (Mechanicus) might be an
enforcer or strongman for a Forge
ion, say, while
Peer (Navigators) might represent a
high-level bodyguard for a member
of the Nobilite.
As long as the character still makes
the limit!
Scrounger its salt knows, and relies upon, someone
like a Scrounger.

-Sutler Dyomin, Katyushan 13th Prerequisite Speciality: Sutler

item
ones, and theft is not necessarily
tantamount to theft of something useful.
When you need something that just works,
you call on a Scrounger. These more
technically-minded members of the
Munitorum are heavily proscribed by the
Mechanicus, and for good
reason. Their task, in no
uncertain terms, is to comb
the battlefield for anything
of use left on bodies or
abandonned by soldiers,
and make sure it ends
up back in the
regimental supply
chain.
New Aptitudes: Intelligence, Agility, Tech,
Defence, Fieldcraft, Perception,
Knowledge
New Talents: Either Modify Payload and
Initiated Maintenance or Battlefield
Techwright or Armour-Monger
Specialist Equipment: Auspex, Lascutter,
Combi-tool
Specialist Advances:
Whatever Works:
Type: Passive
Cost: 200xp
On the battlefields of the 41st
millenium, there are as many types of
weapons as there are stars in the sky,
and a Scrounger has sampled the
martial delights of a surprising
number of them.

The practical upshot A Scrounger reduces the

of this, of course, is penalties of using any weapon
that Scroungers often they are not Trained on by
have to heavily tinker an amount equal to 10
with or modify what plus their
they scavenge to keep Intelligence
it working, and have Bonus. Any ally
no scruples about within a radius
stealing xeno or equal to the
heretical equipment if
it will make them a Fellowship Bonus
few Thrones. reduces the penalties by 5.
Though what they
dredge up is often Hands Off:
as unpredictable as Type: Passive
the tides of war Cost: 500xp
itself, every Competition for salvage
regiment worth is fierce, and on those

68
battlefronts populated by
multiple regiments with an
inclination for scavenging
matter of life and death.
Alternate Takes on the Scrounger permanent harm to
Scroungers as a Specialty obviously precious, precious
machinery. The
Mechanicus-themed parties, given Munitorum knows the
that most of their role involves what Mechanicus knows,
is essentially mild tech-heresy. too.

Squad owns an item of A Scrounger with this

Very Rare Availability or much sense, consider presenting the ability gains a +10 to
higher, the Scrounger and Scrounger as a Cyber Seer or Decieve tests against
the entire Squad gains a +5 Technomancer, those members of members of the
bonus to all Overwatch the Mechanicus charged with Adeptus Mechanicus,
attacks. This bonus cataloguing and recording data on and increases the
increases by +5 for each all manner of weapons, equipment difficulty of Sleight of
step in rarity above Rare and tactics. Hand tests against
that applies to an item themselves by -10.
owned by a party member. For example, if
the party owned an Extremely Rare item, Catch!:
the bonus would be +10, Near Unique Cost: 300xp
would be +15, etc. Sutlers are known for carrying around a
bizarre miscellany in their deep pockets (see
It Was Like That When I Found It: what I did there?), but Scroungers up the
Type: Passive ante even further.
Cost: 200xp
The Mechanicus knows that the A number of times a day equal to half the
Munitorum is always seeking to cut corners
and shave off costs, even at the cost of Scrounger can grab something vaguely
grenade-shaped from
Table 3: Scrounger Grenades
their pocket and throw it
d10 Grenade Location Effect
1 A Rock! - 1 + STR Impact damage at an enemy as a Half
2 Photon Flash Core, 183 - Action. This functions a
3 Frag Core, 183 - standard thrown grenade
4 Krak Core, 183 - attack, except what the
5 Fire Bomb Core, 182 -
grenade actually is is not
6 Concussion Vol 3, 28 -
Grenade generated until the
7 Stun Core, 184 - attack (and any scatter,
8 Pocket Sand! - Blast (2), affected targets must test misfires, etc) have
Toughness or be Blinded for 1d5 already been rolled.
rounds
Generate a grenade from
9 Black Vol 3, 28 -
Promethium Table 3.
Canister
10 Hallucinogen Core, 182 -

69
Signifier
nt, Piper Laidlaw
stood on the battlement, and played his company
forward. The effect of his splendid example was
immediate; the men, taking heart, charged and

-Praetorian Guard Order of the Lion

Citation

All regiments make use of Signifiers in

some form or another, though few bear the
name and many are unofficial positions.
Signifiers are simply those soldiers who
have as their duty maintaining the morale
of and inspiring their allies. They are not
official morale officers like Commissars,
but they are those regimental musicians,
standard-bearers, and icon-holders whose
very presence uplifts those suffering
soldiers around them.

Signifiers often lead from the front, but
their role is less combative and more
supportive- whether they are guiding
troops by holding high some symbolic
banner or totem, or causing the enemy to
quake in their positions with a blare of
menacing music, or even soothing the
fevered brow of the wounded with some
familiar memory of home, all find their
home in combat. Some regiments deploy
full bands of Signifiers into combat, while
others will assign troops to escort
reliquaries or important objects. Their roles
are as diverse and varied as the regiments
they serve with.
Off the battlefield, many Signifiers end up
as the organizers for regimental events such
as parades and demonstrations- as the
traditions, they are expected to maintain
Cadian standard-bearers, with the large flags traditional to their world.
the highest possible standards of discipline
and regimental culture, and instill that same
standard in their comrades.
Prerequisite Speciality: Any Guardsman
New Aptitudes: Leadership, Willpower,
Defense, Strength, Fieldcraft, Toughness
New Talents: Either Leap Up and Radiant
Presence or Formidable
Specialist Equipment: Good-Quality Accatran
Heavy Laspistol or Best-Quality Hand
Cannon or Best-Quality Chainsword,
Regimental Instrument or Regimental
Standard
Comrade Advances:
Bawdy Marching Song
Type: Order (Half Action)
Cost: 200 xp

70
The Signifier can order his Comrade to
play a lively, if somewhat obscene, folk
song that encourages others nearby to
move quickly and watch their footing. Until
in earshot count their Agility Bonus as
being 1 higher for the purposes of
determining movement.
allies to rally around the Standard and
defend it against all comers. For the next
1d5 rounds, the Signifier and all allied
characters within a number of meters equal
to his Fellowship bonus gain the Unnatural
Toughness (X) Trait, where X is half the
down.

Rousing Quickstep
Type: Order (Full Action)
Cost: 400 xp
As long as the Signifier and his Comrade
are in cohesion, they can play an ancient
and long-remembered tune from their
homeworld that inspires even the war-
weary and injured to fight on with
renewed vigour. The Signifier makes a
Hard (-20) Perform Test. If it succeeds,
all allies within earshot can ignore the
effects of their first point of Fatigue for
the remainder of the combat. If it
succeeds by more than 2 Degrees of
Success, all allies within earshot can reroll
one failed Test per round for the
remainder of combat.

Type: Passive
Cost: 300xp
If the Signifier is engaged in melee, all
allies within 20 meters of him and his

location, gain the Hatred talent against

whatever type of enemy is currently
attacking the Signifier.
Piper D.L. Laidlaw, Praetorian Guard XXIVth Regiment
Hold Fast!
Type: Order (Full Action)
Cost: 400 xp
While in Cohesion, the Signifier and his
Comrade can, as a Half Action, order his

71
Commissar Advanced Specialties Specialty through certain in-game actions,
as detailed below.
win. A great Commissar can stare down a
Commissar-Captain
-Apocryphal
-Commissar-Captain B.B.M.H.I.H.N
Commissars are exceptional individuals, but Macedon, Plothian Crusaders
generally undergo very similar training,
with little variance from Schola Progenium The twin rank of Commissar-Captain is a
to Schola Progenium. Further, they are less rare one, generally held by senior
likely to go through the many battlefield commissars or those who have taken on a
roles seen by common soldiers of officers- more administrative role in their regiment.
A Commissar-Captain is charged with
Advanced supervising the regular
Specialties Commissars of a regiment,
functions a but also has a direct hand
little in tactical planning and
differently. operations- they are just as
These are less much of a battlefield
aspects of leader as their regular
training or contemporaries, but their
doctrine, and wealth of knowledge
more the makes them somewhat
direction a more valuable supporting
combat than engaged in it.
career takes
within their Prerequisite Speciality:
regiment, Commissar
whether they Prerequisite: Character must
become heroic have spent significant
leaders from amounts of time
the front, cooperating with the upper
master leadership of their
manipulators, regiments, and have
or terrifying survived at least one major
spectres of Imperial campaign
imperial New Aptitudes: Fellowship,
orthodoxy. A Weapon Skill, Perception,
Commissar can only switch Specialties Leadership, Social, Fieldcraft, Finesse
once, and their choice is permanent. New Talents: Heroic Inspiration, Combat
Sense and Inspire Wrath or Foresight

72
Specialist Equipment: Best-Craftsmanship
Command Baton or Good-Craftsmanship
Mono Chainsword or Good-Craftsmanship
Power Sword, Good-Craftsmanship
or Good-
Craftsmanship Bolt Pistol, Carapace
Breastplate
Specialist Advances:
enemies or allies within hearing range equal
to his Strength Bonus to make an Opposed
Challenging (+0) Willpower Test versus the
Commissar-Captains's Command Skill.
Every Degree of Success causes each enemy
to take 1 level of Fatigue. With 5 Degrees of
Success, enemies are stunned for 1 round,
the force of the rebuke halting them in
their tracks.

Velvet Glove Allies affected must make a Hard (-20)

Type: Passive
Cost: 300xp
Long service has lead the Commissar-
Captain to discover that sometimes a soft
touch is required to dig out the roots of
corruption, allowing it to be
crushed by the Iron Fist of Imperial
Justice.
Willpower Test, with +10 per degree of
success achieved by the Commissar-
Captain. On a Success, they ignore the
effects of fatigue and fear until the end of
the encounter.

Before attempting an Interaction

Skill Test, the Commissar-Captain
can attempt a Difficult (-10) Charm
check as a Free Action to soften the
target/targets up, playing off their
expectations to lower their guard.
Every 2 Degrees of Success lower
the Difficulty of the following
check by 1 step.

Castigating Shout
Type: Full Action
Cost: 500xp
The Commissar-Captain has
embraced his role on the battlefield
as a force of morale, his booming
curses and inspiring oaths doing
much to reinvigorate his allies and
shatter the will of his enemies.

As a full Action, a Commissar-

Captain may force a number of

73
Hero of the Imperium
-Commissar Ciaphas Cain (Attributed)
Daniel Sterne. Ibram Gaunt. Conrad
Raege. Ciaphas Cain. Johnathan Fuklaw.
These are the names of some of the
s, brave
men and women who have spat defiance
into the jaws of the enemies of Mankind
time and time again and lived to tell the
tale. The title of Hero of the Imperium can
be awarded to any Imperial citizen, but its
most famous recipients are often of the
Commissariat, a fact which has sometimes
earned the medal the disparaging title of
doubt the incredible benefits towards
morale a decorated Hero of the Imperium
can bring to the battlefield, and their
selflessness and bravery is second to none.
Prerequisite Speciality: Commissar
Prerequisite: Character must have risked life
and limb in an act of personal heroism that
changed the course of a major battle, and
survived.
New Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Offence,
Leadership, Finesse, Agility, Fellowship
New Talents: Berserk Charge, Strength in
the Creed, Unshakable Faith or Tireless
Specialist Equipment: One Good-
Craftsmanship pistol-class ranged weapon
of Very Rare Availability or more, one
Good Craftsmanship one-handed melee
weapon of Very Rare availability or more,
Good-Craftsmanship Light Carapace
Armor
Specialist Advances:
74
Paragon of Might
Type: Passive
Cost: 500xp
Legends of the deeds of this Commissar
have spread, and much like The Defender
of the Imperium Ciaphas Cain, even the
enemies of the Imperium have begun to
recognize tales of him.
The Hero of the Imperium gains +20 on
Interaction tests with the common citizenry
of the Imperium, or anyone who might
view him in a positive light, and a -20 to
attempt to influence the enemies of the
Imperium in a positive manner. While in
combat, the Hero of the Imperium is
considered to have a Fear Rating of 1,
provided they have not suffered any
Critical Wounds.
Glory to the Emperor!
Type: Free Action
Cost: 400xp
It is believed that some of the actions of the
Hero of the Imperium are actually divinely
supported by the Emperor of Mankind.
While this may not be true, it is obvious
that the Hero of the Imperium seems to
draw His focus when fighting the Enemy
on the battlefield.
When triggering Righteous Fury, the Hero
of the Imperium may spend a Fate Point. If
he does, Righteous Fury automatically
confirms, ignores a creature's ability to
ignore it, and he rolls 2d5 instead, picking
between either result. This ability may only
be actived once per combat.
S-Company Commander
-Motto of the Edelweiss 12th Security
Company
Few regiments are large enough or
undisciplined enough to require an S-
Company, but in those few that do the very
name inspires almost irrational panic. The
S-Company, or Security Company, is a
small unit of independent troops answering
duty of searching out any threats to the
internal security of the regiment and
units on the battlefield who may be on the
verge of a total rout. S-Company soldiers
are frequently recruited from other
regiments or from the Stormtroopers of the
Schola, in order to minimize any ties of
loyalty they would develop with the
unfortunate other members of their
regiment. Few Commissars more directly
embody the brutal disciplinarian side of
their occupation than the S-Company
Commanders.
Prerequisite Speciality: Commissar
Prerequisite: Character must have succesfully
rooted out and captured a major traitor to
the regimental order, or personally rallied a
significant number of routing or retreating
soldiers.
New Aptitudes: Social, Fellowship, Defense,
Toughness, Willpower, Leadership,
Ballistic Skill
New Talents: True Grit, Iron Discipline or
Fearless
Specialist Equipment: Good-Craftsmanship
Bolt Pistol with Laser Sight or Best-
Craftsmanship Sawn-off Shotgun, Good-
75
Craftsmanship Shock Maul or Good-
Craftsmanship Suppression Shield,
Carapace Breastplate, Manacles
Specialist Advances:
Security Detail
Type: Passive
Cost: 350xp
The S-Company Commander is given
command of a squad of Stormtroopers.
These are most frequently soldiers from
Terraxia, whose Schola Excubitos is famous
for training Commissars and their
assistants, or they may be from some other
world of grim repute.
The Commander gains a Comrade/extra
Comrade. He can select this advance a
number of times equal to his Fellowship
Bonus. See the Multiple Comrades sidebars
in Hammer of the Emperor for more
details.
Blocking Battalion
Type: Order (Full Action)
Cost: 400xp
The S-Company Commander orders all his
Comrades to ready their weapons against
the squad, with orders to shoot should
anyone retreat.
The character making this Order may have
any number of his Comrades beyond the
first within Cohesion use a Full Action to
participate in the Order. As part of this
Order, the character issuing it must make a
Difficult (-10) Command Test with +10 for
each Comrade participating in the Order.
PCs gain +5 to Ballistic Skill Checks per
Degree of Success on the Command Check
and +X damage per hit, where X is the
number of Comrades participating in this
Order. The Commander can only use this Toughness, in order to act normally. In
Order once per encounter and must have at addition, should the S-Company
least one Comrade within Cohesion to Commander or a prisoner be about to
enact this Order. suffer a killing blow, as a Free Action, a
Stormtrooper can accept the hit instead, as
Only in Death does Duty End they throw their body in the way. The
Type: Passive Comrade must be in Cohesion with the
Cost: 400xp target of the attack.
The S-Company has the solemn duty of
guarding prisoners deemed either too
dangerous for execution or holding vital
information that must be extracted. As
such, they are expected to throw their lives
down at a moments notice, if need be, to
prevent access to their charge.

If the S-Company Commader fails a

Pinning or Fear check, as a Reaction they
may suffer 1d5 damage, ignoring Armor and

76
Talents, Orders, Skills and Actions New Talents
- The following Talents are purchased as
-Lord Commander Roboute Guilliman standard, and some come with prerequisites.
Several of these talents are homeworld-
The Synerge Cluster fields a bizarre array specific (listed in their Prerequisites),
of troops, all with their own unusual meaning that only a character who is from
combat tactics, customs, and ideas. that planet, or a character who has served
alongside characters from that planet for a
New Skill significant amount of time (at least several
This skill is designed primarily for use by months), for instance, can purchase it
the Signifier Advanced Specialty, but can provided they meet the other prerequisites.
be purchased by any character with access
to a musical instrument or who wishes to If a player really, really, really wants one of
sing. these Talents, let them have it, of course- if
they can justify why their character would
Perform (Fellowship) have such a talent. The GM has the final say
Aptitudes: Social, General on whether or not they might cost extra.
Perform is the ability to play musical
instruments, or carry enough of a tune for Some Talents listed here only have one
your singing to sound musical. While not Aptitude- these are uncommonly powerful
always a useful skill on the battlefield, (some might argue broken) abilities that
musical instruments find their home in require significantly more xp to purchase.
trenches and dugouts across the Galaxy,
whether it be for official ceremonies,
raising morale, or even lulling comrades
to sleep on a quiet night. Musical
performances are often useful as a
tradable service, with many willing to
offer up a tot of service synthol to
someone who can distract them from the
hell of battle, even for a few minutes.
When Perform is used against an
opponent (for instance, when trying to

Opposed Test. Perform is Opposed by

itself.
Skill Use: Full Action for basic music,
Extended Tests for longer pieces

77
Table 4: Tier 1 Talents
Talent Prerequisites Aptitude 1 Aptitude 2 Benefit
Aggressive Action Edelweiss Offence Strength Spend Reactions to gain a
damage bonus
Chterngek Protector Psyker, Katyushan Psyker Fieldcraft Reduce psychic dangers in
snow and ice
Covering Fire BS 35, AG 35 Ballistic Finesse Use Overwatch to disrupt
Skill enemies

Distracting Strike Per 30, BS 30 Offence Perception Distract enemies with

thrown weapons
Evasive AG 35 Agility Defence Gain one-time bonus to
Dodge
Fickle Fortune Bellagian Willpower General Become luckier?
Firebug Weapon Training Willpower Offence Ignore fatigue when using
(Flame) flame weapons
Flak Dodger Tennanlower Agility Defense Avoid anti-aircraft fire
Per 30, BS 30 Offense Perception Deal extra damage to
uncovered enemies
Haze of War Dolcaterran Ballistic Perception Reduce penalties due to
Skill smoke
Hurler STR35 Strength Fieldcraft Throw weapons further
Illogical Target Tech-Use, Dodge, Defence Tech Reduce aim of mechanical
Maniple 931 enemies
Lockdown BS 30, Per 30 Ballistic Leadership Make Pinned enemies
Skill easier to hit

Lone Wolf - Fieldcraft Offence Gain bonuses when

operating solo
Tizherin Stealth, Katyushan Fieldcraft Agility Move stealthily in snow
and ice
Trench Dweller - Fieldcraft Defence Increase protection of
prepared positions
Trench Raider Ag 35 Fieldcraft Offence Move freely in trenches
Illicit Mods Junker Fieldcraft Tech Customize weapons more
Reaction Fire Ag 30, Per 30 Perception Defence Spend Reaction to
Overwatch
Weapon Training - Finesse General Use Blackpowder weapons
(Blackpowder) without penalty

78
Table 5: Tier 2 Talents
Talent Prerequisites Aptitude 1 Aptitude 2 Benefit
Ante Up Bellagian Willpower General Avoid spending Fate by
gambling
Arbalist BS 35, Per 35, Weapon Training Ballistic Perception Become more effective with
(Low-Tech) Skill crossbows
Arsonist Weapon Training (Flame) Fieldcraft Offence Increase flamer area denial
strength
Bayonet Expertise WS 40, Weapon Training (Chain Weapon Fieldcraft Fight effectively with bayonets
or Low-Tech) Skill
Biggest Booms Tech-Use Fieldcraft Tech Spend Fate for blast damage
Blackpowder Weapon BS 35, WS 35, Weapon Training Ballistic Weapon Use blackpowder weapons in
Expertise (Blackpowder) Skill Skill melee
Caracole Survival, BS 45, Edelweiss Ballistic Fieldcraft Make ranged attacks during
Skill Strike and Fade
Cool Under Pressure Reaction Fire, PER 40 Perception Willpower Spend Fate for deadly
Overwatch
Diving Charge Ag 40, Operate (Aeronautica), Offence Weapon Make flying charge attacks
Tennanlower Skill
Executioner Frenzy or Jaded Offence Strength Do more damage to injured
enemies
Flashfire Flame Weapon Training, Offence Agility Spend Fate for free fire attacks
AG 40
Formidable Iron Jaw, Sound Constitution Toughness Defence Reduce explosion damage
Grazing Fire Deadeye Shot Ballistic Finesse Spend Fate to deal damage on
Skill misses
Indefatigable Evasive, WP 40 Offence Defence Score kills to reduce enemy aim
Launcher Weapon BS 40, Weapon Training Ballistic Toughness Avoid explosive blast damage
Expertise (Launcher) Skill
Low Profile AG 40, T 35 Finesse Defence Improve protection of cover
Open-Air Operations Tennanlower Agility Defence Gain bonuses when fighting
with little protection
Peacekeeper Maniple 931, Fellowship 35 Social Willpower Defuse arguments and conflicts
Ranging Fire BS 40 Ballistic Intelligence Use Indirect Fire to guide allies
Skill
Shadowstep Evasive Agility Defence Character is harder to hit with
Overwatch
Shredder BS 40 Ballistic Offence Damage armour with ranged
Skill attacks
Snap Shot Lightning Reflexes, AG 40 Ballistic Agility Make two Single Attacks per
Skill turn at a penalty
Shockproof Junker, Toughness 35 Toughness Tech Resist negative electrical
effects
Sudden Strike WS 35 Weapon Finesse Deal more damage on first
Skill strike
Trench Veteran Trench Dweller Fieldcraft Defence Improve morale in prepared
positions
Unarmed Style STR 40 or AG 40, Unarmed Strength Finesse Apply special effects to
Warrior unarmed attacks
Yeoman Strength 35, BS 35, Weapon Ballistic
79 Strength Become more effective with
Training (Low-Tech) Skill bows
Table 6: Tier 3 Talents
Talent Prerequisites Aptitude 1 Aptitude 2 Benefit
All In Bellagian Willpower General Burn Fate for a risky power attack
Antimaterialist BS 40, Tech-Use +10, Ballistic Offence Destroy reinforced targets
Maniple 931 Skill
Blackpowder Weapon BS 40, WS 40, Blackpowder Ballistic Weapon Increase melee damage of black
Mastery Weapon Expertise Skill Skill powder weapons

Brick Outhouse Bulging Biceps, Strength 50, Strength Toughness Character is ridiculously muscular
Edelweiss

Caustic Jape Intimidate (+10), FEL 40 Social Fellowship Enrage enemies with sick burns
Close and Personal Hip Shooting or Storm of Ballistic - Spend Fate for better point-blank
Iron Skill crits
Driving Skirl Perform Social Offence Terrify enemies with music
Ever Vigilant Cool Under Pressure, PER Perception - Enter Overwatch as a Free Action
50
Explosive - Offence - The next best thing to Exploding
Righteousness Dice
Fire Bomber Weapon Training (Flame), Finesse Offence Cripple vehicles with fire
Tank Hunter
Haplotic Focus WP 50, Strong Minded Psyker Knowledge Specialize in a single psychic
Discipline to the exclusion of all else
Hoist the Colours Command Leadership Strength Rally allies around a planted
Standard
Killer Instinct Hip Shooting, BS 45, AG 45 Offence Agility Character does more crits while Hip
Shooting
Launcher Weapon BS 50, Launcher Weapon Ballistic Toughness Rapidly load launcher ammunition
Mastery Expertise Skill
Plunging Fire Int 40, BS 40 Intelligence Perception Frighten enemies with long-range
fire
Precision Shot Crack Shot Ballistic Perception Spend Fate for crit attack
Skill
Rapid Toss Biggest Booms Agility - Spend Fate to throw fast
Rebellious Pride Junker Offence Willpower Gain free attacks when commanded
Sentinel Cool Under Pressure, BS 50 Defence Finesse Gain extra Overwatch hits
Streltsy of Old BS 40, Weapon Training Ballistic Leadership Inspire allies further with Streltsy
(Low-Tech), Katyushan Skill weapons
Trench Defender Trench Dweller, Trench Fieldcraft Defence Improve accuracy and slow enemies
Veteran in prepared positions
Trick Archery Str 40 or Per 40, Arbalist or Ballistic Finesse Use bows to make trick shots
Yeoman Skill
Unconventional Air of Authority, STR 50 or Leadership General Command using alternate
Leadership WP 50 or Int 50 Characteristics

80
Talent List then roll 1d5. On a roll 0f 1, the character
immediately dies as something terribly
Aggressive Action unlucky happens to them. On a roll of 5, the
Tier: 1 character regains all their Wounds as the
Prerequisites: Edelweiss Character
Aptitudes: Offense, Strength
Edelweiss doctrine teaches offensive tactics Ante Up
on a level that most other soldiers would Tier: 2
find foolish. The Edelweiss, being gigantic Prerequisites: Bellagian Character
hyper- Aptitudes: Willpower, General
particularly mind. Bellagians are just as famous for winning
At the start of every combat turn, this battles by the skin of their teeth, or by
character can spend a Reaction to give outright cheating, as they are for dying
themselves a +2 damage bonus to any horribly within seconds of being deployed.
Attacks this turn. This ability cannot be The key question when fighting alongside
combined with All-Out Attacks or any
other ability that uses a Reaction. When this Character spends a Fate Point,
they may choose to roll a d10. On a roll of 1
All In or 2, the Fate Point is not used, but they
Tier: 3 gain its positive effects. On a roll of 10, the
Prerequisites: Bellagian Character character immediately dies as something
Aptitudes: Willpower, General unlucky happens to them.
The most predictable aspect of the Low
Rollers of Bellagia is their unpredictability.
Their obsession with luck
and fortune can lead them
to take near-suicidal risks,
which sometimes even pay
off.
A character with this
Talent who is suffering
from at least one point of
Critical Damage can spend
a Fate Point to add 3d10
extra damage with the
Proven (4) Quality to a
single melee or ranged
weapon attack. If the
attack succeeds in hitting
an enemy, regardless of
whether or not it does
damage, the character can

81
Antimaterialist
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: BS 40, Tech-Use +10, Maniple
931 Character
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Offence
The soldiers of Maniple 931 wear many hats,
in addition to their distinctive blue helmets;
they are policemen, peacekeepers, and if
necessary a heavy demolitions force
prepared to raze the entirety of Niva
Gustav, and every machine on it.
When attacking structures, vehicles, and
enemies with the Machine trait, characters
with this Talent increase the damage of all
of their attacks by 1d10. This extra damage
can inflict Righteous Fury.
Arbalist
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Ballistic Skill 35, Perception 35,
Weapon Training (Low-Tech)
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Perception
The mighty crossbow is found in nearly all
Human cultures- a mechanized,
industrialized weapon that renders the
conventional bow obsolete- with a little
careful aim, anyways.
Any crossbow-type weapon wielded by a
character with this Talent gains the Razor
Sharp quality and increases its Penetration
rounded down.
Arsonist
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Weapon Training (Flame)
Aptitudes: Fieldcraft, Offense
To truly destroy a fixed structure, it is
necessary to saturate it with flammable
chemicals, and ensure those chemicals burn
for the longest time possible. The flame
82
troopers of the Synerge Cluster know this
well, and adjust their weapons accordingly.
Characters with this Talent increase the
range of any Flame weapons they wield by
10m. When making using the Scorched
Earth action, any enemies within the area of
effect take a -10 to their Agility Test to not
catch fire.
Bayonet Expertise
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Weapon Skill 40, Weapon
Training (Low-Tech or Chain)
Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Fieldcraft
The humble bayonet is an oft-overlooked
one which makes an effective offensive
weapon. A character with this Talent
wielding a Melee Weapon Attachment,
Chain Weapon Attachment, or Mellow-
Pattern Piton Driver treats their melee
weapon as having a range of 2 meters,
increases its Penetration by 1, and adds
double their Strength bonus to its Damage
when Charging.
Biggest Booms
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Tech-Use
Aptitudes: Fieldcraft, Tech
Bakuretsu, Bakuretsu, la la la!
This character can spend a Fate Point to
make their weapons with a Blast radius deal
Righteous Fury on a roll of 9 or 10 for the
remainder of combat.
Blackpowder Weapon Expertise
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Ballistic Skill 35, Weapons
Skill 35, Weapon Training (Low-Tech)
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Weapon Skill
Few Imperial Guard regiments utilize black
powder weapons, but anyone experienced
with the ways of pike and shot knows they
are best at extremely close range.
A character with this Talent can use black
powder or flintlock Basic or Heavy
weapons to make ranged attacks in melee
with no bonuses to hit. They gain a +20 to
hit in melee with Pistol black powder or
flintlock weapons.
Blackpowder
Weapon Mastery
Tier: 3
Prerequisites:
Ballistic Skill 40,
Weapons Skill 40,
Blackpowder
Weapon Expertise
Aptitudes: Ballistic
Skill, Weapon Skill
While musket balls
are often
ineffective against heavy armour, many who
use them at close ranges know that the flash
of powder and the thunderous discharge of
smoke can often stun even the best-
prepared of enemies at short enough
ranges.
A character with this talent who makes a
ranged attack with a black powder or
flintlock weapon at point-blank range or
while in melee treats their weapon as having
the Concussive (2) and Proven (3) Qualities,
and increases its Penetration by 2.
Brick Outhouse
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Bulging Biceps, Strength 50,
Edelweiss Character
Aptitudes: Strength, Toughness
83
The Edelweiss sometimes take their
obsession with physical fitness to a degree
that beggars belief, resulting in soldiers
who look more like weightlifters than
combatants. While this seldom provides a
major strategic advantage, the fact of the
matter is that most Edelweiss soldiers can
easily tear their enemies limb from limb in
close combat.
Characters with this Talent gain a +20
bonus to Intimidate Tests, a +20 to
Athletics Tests to lift,
move or push heavy
objects, and the Sturdy
trait.
Caracole
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Survival,
Ballistic Skill 45, Edelweiss
Character
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill,
Fieldcraft
A common Edelweiss cavalry tactic, the
Caracole involves approaching a target at
high-speed, then turning broadside to it to
discharge a pistol or rifle shot at close
range. Though it necessitates careful
coordination, the effects of a well-executed
caracole maneuver from Edelweiss
dragoons can be devastating.
A character with this Talent can choose to
make a single attack with a ranged weapon
instead of a melee weapon during a Strike
and Fade mounted action. Successfully
making this attack requires a Difficult (-10)
Ballistic Skill Test.
Caustic Jape
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Intimidate (+10), Fellowship 40
Aptitudes: Social, Offence
This character can, by some spiteful gift of
mind, break out one-liners that would
make the foulest-tempered drill sergeant
blush. When deployed on the battlefield,
such wordplay can be a devastating tactical
weapon. As Full Action, this character may
pick an enemy within earshot and make an
opposed Challenging (+0) Intimidate vs.
Routine (+10) Willpower Test to taunt
them viciously. The player in question must
actually insult the enemy, and the GM is
free to modify the difficulty of the Test
based on the quality of the insult. If the
enemy fails, they must spend their next
Turn sputtering and making weak
comebacks until they become Frenzied.
They remain so for the remainder of
combat or until they are knocked
Unconscious. If the target was already
Frenzied or already possesses the Frenzy
Talent, they become Frenzied as normal
save that they will likely take dangerous or
even suicidal risks to get themselves closer
to their target.
If this character has the Heroic Inspiration
Talent, using this ability is a Half Action.
This Talent has no effect on enemies with
the Machine or Bestial Traits, as well as
enemies who do not understand the
character's language.
Chterngek Protector
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: Psyker, Katyushan Character
Aptitudes: Psyker, Fieldcraft
The Chterngek are the mysterious entities
that deeply traditionalist Katyushans
believe lurk in the boundaries between the
bright lights of the fire and the inky cold
darkness of the ice- they can be helpful or
harmful, but the places where they gather
84
are full of arcane power that can be
harnessed.
A Psyker with this Talent can choose to
reduce any rolls on the Psychic Phenomena
or Perils of the Warp table by -10 while
manifesting in snow or icy terrain.
Close and Personal
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Hip Shooting or Storm of Iron
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill
Though the Commissariat generally frowns
on unbridled savagery on the part of
Imperial Guardsmen, seeing it as the first
step on the road to moral contamination, it
cannot be denied that being close enough
to see the whites of an
turn the meekest soldier into a whirlwind of
death. This character may spend a Fate
Point to inflict Righteous Fury on a roll of
9-10 for the remainder of combat, but only
when making ranged attacks against
enemies at Point-Blank Range. If their
weapons already activate Righteous fury in
this range, increase the range to 8-10.
Cool Under Pressure
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Reaction Fire, PER 40
Aptitudes: Perception, Willpower
There is a state of sublime and perfect calm
that exists in the heat of battle, when time
seems to slow to a crawl and one can trace
the lazy path of a lasbolt through the air.
Few soldiers can call up such focus, but
those who do are deadly. This character can
spend a Fate Point to make all their
Overwatch attacks for the remainder of the
round gain a +10 to hit, and inflict
Righteous Fury on a roll of 9 or 10.
Covering Fire
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: BS 35, AG 35
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Finesse
The Tactica Imperialis teaches that even
inaccurate, unguided fire can be a useful
tool to make the enemy keep their heads
down. When this character is in Overwatch
and attacks an enemy, that enemy takes a -
10 to all their Ballistic and Weapon Skill
tests on their next turn, even if the initial
attack didn't hit.
Distracting Strike
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: Ballistic Skill 30, Perception 30
Aptitudes: Offence, Perception
Throwing knives, axes and the like are
seldom the tools that win fights, but a
clever soldier with halfway decent aim can
use them to disorient and distract their
enemies.
Whenever a character with this
Talent attacks a non-vehicle
target with a non-Grenade
Thrown weapon, that target
takes a -10 penalty on all
Ballistic Skill and Weapon Skill
Tests until the end of their next
turn, regardless of whether the
attack hit or not.
they level off at the last possible second,
transferring their moment into crushing
blows against unsuspecting foes. Though
incredibly dangerous, the force of an
armoured man and the weight of his
skyboard can pulverize even well-armoured
foes.
A character on a Skyboard or other
equivalent Flying mount can spend a Full
Action to make a diving charge. They must
begin their turn at High Altitude, and make
a Difficult (-10) Operate (Aeronautica) Test.
If the Test succeeds, they drop to
Hovering Altitude and may make a single
melee attack at a +20 bonus against an
enemy target within half their Flying
Movement distance. The attack has the
Concussive (2) and Felling (X) quality,
where X is the number of degrees of
Success they scored on the original Test,
and increases its Penetration by X. If they

Diving Charge
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Operate
(Aeronautica), Agility 40,
Tennanlower Character
Aptitudes: Offense, Weapon Skill
The signature tactic of the
Tennanlowe Skyboarders is
their swooping combat dives-
rushing full-tilt at the ground,

85
fail the Test by more than 2 degrees, they
fall off their mount instead.
Driving Skirl
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Perform
Aptitudes: Social, General
Standing firm in the face of oncoming fire
to play a musical instrument might seem
counterintuitive on the battlefield, but
those truly inspired regimental musicians
who do manage the task can terrify their
enemies by their seeming untouchability.
A character with this Talent who is not in
Cover can make a Hard (-20) Perform Test
as a Half Action. If the test succeeds, they
count as having the Fear (X) trait, where X
is 0 + 1 for every two Degrees of Success
they scored on the Test. All enemies within
line of sight must make Fear tests as
normal. This ability lasts for a number of
rounds equal to 1d5+ half of their
Willpower Bonus, rounded up, but the
character must remain out of cover and
devote all of their non-movement actions
to continue playing for the duration.
Evasive
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: AG 35
Aptitudes: Agility, Defense
Lighter-armoured regiments will
frequently teach their soldiers movement
patterns designed to minimize their
exposure to enemy fire on the battlefield.
This character gains a +20 bonus to their
first Dodge test each combat.
Ever Vigilant
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Cool Under Pressure, PER 50
Aptitudes: Perception
86
Few soldiers can keep a level head about
them when running full-tilt, but those who
can make superb point men, spearheading
an advance while still providing accurate
covering fire for their allies. When this
character makes a Full Move, they may
immediately enter Overwatch at the end of
their turn as a Free Action. They may only
take Single Shots when Overwatching in
this way.
Executioner
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Frenzy or Jaded
Aptitudes: Offence, Strength
Many more savage or disciplined regiments
teach their soldiers to strike purposefully at
wounded enemies, hammering them down
with relentless strikes to ruin the morale of
their allies. This character gains a +20 to hit
any target that has already taken Critical
Damage in this combat.
Explosive Righteousness
Tier: 3
Aptitudes: Offence
Sometimes things happen on the battlefield
which simply cannot be explained
rationally. The Emperor provides.
This character's Righteous Fury attacks
also do 1 Wound of damage, ignoring
Armour and Toughness, for every living
enemy within 2 meters of them, to a
maximum of 4. If this bonus damage would
inflict Critical Wounds, resolve whichever
Critical Damage effect is higher on the
relevant Critical Table.
Fickle Fortune
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: Bellagian Character
Aptitudes: Willpower, General
The peculiar luck of the Bellagians is
renowned across the Synerge Cluster,
though some are luckier, and indeed
unluckier, than most.
A character with this Talent gains one extra
Degree of Success on all successful Tests,
and one extra Degree of Failure on all
failed Tests.
Fire Bomber
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Weapon Training (Flame),
Tank Hunter
Aptitudes: Finesse, Offence
Hunting armoured vehicles with flame
weapons is a difficult art- it requires exact
points, but also of what if any components,
especially motive, are air-breathing and
thus vulnerable to flame.
When a character with this Talent makes an
attack with a Flame weapon against a
vehicle, their attack is automatically treated
effects of their first level of Fatigue and
gains a +1 bonus to the damage of their first
successful Flamer attack each combat.
Flak Dodger
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: Tennanlower Character
Aptitudes: Agility, Defence
As first-wave assault troops, and airborne
first-wave assault troops, Tennanlower
soldiers frequently find themselves under
fire from enemy heavy weapons, especially
anti-aircraft guns. They train heavily to be
able to avoid such weapons as a result.
A character with this Talent gains a +10
bonus to Dodge vehicle weapons, and a +15
bonus to Dodge weapons on Vehicles with
the Anti-Air Trait(s). These bonuses do not
stack.

resulting attack does damage, the target

must automatically roll 1d5 on the Motive
Systems Critical Hit Table as burning fuel
spills into its engines.

Firebug
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: Weapon Training (Flame)
Aptitudes: Willpower, Offense
Though the Incinerants of the Ministorum
are the most famous flamer-users of the
Spinward Front, there are no shortage of
flame troopers who are just as devoted to
their scorching weapons. These so-called
Art from here.
the crackling of the flames.
A character with this Talent equipped with
a Flame weapon ignores the negative

87
Flashfire
Tier: 2 Grazing Fire
Prerequisites: Flame Weapon Training, AG Tier: 2
40 Prerequisites: Deadeye Shot
Aptitudes: Offence, Agility Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Finesse
The wise marksman knows that even
you might as well do it as quickly as missing a shot can provide a tactical
possible, so you can proceed to setting advantage, showering an enemy with
something else on fire with minimum fuss. splinters or destroying their cover. This
A character with this Talent can spend a character may spend a Fate Point to make
Fate point to make a single attack with a missed shots against enemies still inflict
weapon with the Flame quality as a free 1d5+1 Impact damage at Penetration 0 for
action, at any point in the turn order. This the remainder of combat.
attack, which can only be activated once per
Round, gains the Inaccurate quality, or Haplotic Focus
grants enemies a +10 on tests to dodge it if Tier: 3
it has the Spray quality. Prerequisites: WP 50, Strong Minded
Aptitudes: Psyker, Knowledge
Formidable The long-dead Collegia Haplotica of
Tier: 2 Tennanlowe taught psykers a dangerously
Prerequisites: Iron Jaw, Sound Constitution powerful induced monomania, the Way of
Aptitudes: Toughness, Defence the Haplotist, which allowed devotees to
Though the human body can never truly deliberately cast aside most of their psychic
adapt to the intense pressure, heat and
vibration shocks of
explosions, any
experienced demolition
or artillery trooper
becomes somewhat
accustomed to such harsh
conditions.
When this character takes
damage from a weapon
with the Blast Quality,
they halve the number of
Wounds of damage they
receive after accounting
for armour and
Toughness, rounding up.

88
talent in exchange for massive raw power
within the confines of a single Discipline.
When purchasing this Talent, select a single
Psychic Discipline for which the character
knows at least 3 Powers. So long as they are
casting Powers from this Discipline, they
gain a +10 to any tests to manifest at the
Fettered level, and can treat their maximum
Push Psy Rating as being 1 higher than
usual. In addition, when manifesting Push
powers at Psy Ratings of +1 or +2 above
their Unfettered level, they generate
Psychic Phenomena as if they were
manifesting at the Unfettered level. When
this talent is purchased, the character
becomes unable to learn any new
techniques from Disciplines other than
their chosen Discipline, and if they already
have powers from other Disciplines, they
can only be cast with an effective Psy
Rating of 1. Casting powers from other
Disciplines automatically generates Psychic
Phenomena.
Haze of War
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: Dolcaterran Character
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Perception
To fight with black powder weapons is to
fight in thick clouds of smoke, and the most
experienced Dolcaterran musketmen
develop an uncanny ability for locating
their enemies even in poor visibility.
Characters with this Talent gain a +10
bonus to hit targets concealed by smoke,
fog, mist or darkness.
Hoist the Colours
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Command
Aptitudes: Leadership, Strength
89
By finding a suitable spot to plant a banner
or symbol of their regiment, soldiers and
officers claim a spot of land as their own,
and those near the banner often find
themselves caught up in the struggle often
find themselves giving their all to prove the
standard-bearers right.
As a Full Action, a character and his
Comrade in cohesion can plant their
Regimental Standard, defying the enemy to
come and take it. All allies within 10 x the
+10 to any Test of their choice each round,
and treat their Toughness Bonus as being 2
steps higher for the purposes of resisting
damage so long as the planted character
does not move or Dodge.
Hunter's Instincts
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: Per 30, BS 30
Aptitudes: Offense, Perception
Far too frequently, Guardsmen find
themselves facing off against brutishly
large enemies, or targets so huge and tough
that the idea of taking cover is laughable. In
such cases, a calm eye for weak points can
do surprising damage. This character's
ranged attacks against enemies who are not
in cover deal 2 extra damage.
Hurler
Tier: 1
Prerequisies: STR 35
Aptitudes: Strength, Fieldcraft
Though a mortar is often the best way to
get small, targeted explosives downrange,
many regiments whose combat tactics
emphasize offensive grenade use will
further train the throwing arms of their
tallest and strongest soldiers. This character
treats their Strength Bonus as being 2
higher for the purposes of determining
thrown weapon range.
Illicit Mods
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: Junker Character
Aptitudes: Fieldcraft, Tech
Given the tense relations between the
Nivan Junkers and the Adeptus
Mechanicus, it is unsurprising that they
have few compunctions about making extra
modifications to their equipment.
Characters with this Talent count Poor-
Craftsmanship weapons they have
customized as being Common
Craftsmanship, and may add one extra
Customization to all weapons.
Illogical Target
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: Tech-Use, Dodge, Maniple
931 Character
Aptitudes: Defense, Tech
Though it has not been bloodied against
foes, the troopers of Maniple 931 have a
great deal of experience fighting machines
and insane servitors. They have come to
instinctively recognize the targeting
patterns and algorithms that govern these
move in such a way as to provide a difficult
target.
Enemies with the Machine trait that
attempt to attack this character receive a -
10 to any Ballistic or Weapon Skill Test
used to make the attack.
Indefatigable
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Evasive, WP 40
Aptitudes: Offence, Defence
90
The Tactica Imperialis notes that skilled
but unseasoned warriors stop and glory in
their small victories, denying themselves
mobility and the advantage. A real veteran
keeps their momentum up at all times.
When this character scores a kill during
their turn, the first attack directed against
them before the start of their next turn
receives a -30 penalty.
Killer Instinct
Tier: 3
Prerequisite: Hip Shooting, BS 45, AG 45
Aptitudes: Offence, Agility
Rational logic dictates that firing randomly
from the hip should not be an effective
tactic, but some characters manage to make
it work by sheer aggressiveness. After
activating the Hip Shooting Talent, this
character's weapons deal Righteous Fury
on a roll of 9 or 10 for the duration of their
Turn.
Launcher Weapon Expertise
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Ballistic Skill 40, Weapon
Training (Launcher)
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Toughness
One of the first things a good explosive
weapons trooper learns is how to not kill
themselves and their allies with the back
blast. When this character attacks with a
Launcher or Explosive weapon and would
accidentally damage themselves or an ally
with it, they and their allies gain a +20
bonus to their Dodge rolls to avoid damage.
Launcher Weapon Mastery
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Ballistic Skill 50, Launcher
Weapon Expertise
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Toughness
The other great vulnerability of the
Launcher, whatever the kind, is the
difficulty of handling and loading
ammunition. Once per combat, a character
with this Talent and their Comrade in
Cohesion can immediately load a single
round into their Launcher weapon as a
Reaction.
Lockdown
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: BS 30, Per 30
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Leadership
One of the real advantages of suppressive
or tracer fire is that it gives allied troops
something to aim towards, while at the same
time keeping their target immobile and
making them an easier target. This
character's allies gain a +10 to hit any target
that is Pinned as a result of this character's
attacks or abilities.
Lone Wolf
Tier: 1
Aptitudes: Fieldcraft, Offense
Imperial Guardsmen should always stick
regiment-
too cool for everyone else. Sometimes they
may be justified, but more often than not
such overconfidence will be their undoing.
This character gains a +5 to Agility and
Ballistic Skill-based Tests when they are
91
more than 10m away from any allied
character, including their Comrade if they
have one.
Low Profile
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: AG 30, T 30
Aptitudes: Finesse, Defence
Effective city-fighting requires relearning
how to move- not just keeping your head
down, but making every possible piece of
environmental protection work as hard as
possible for you. This character increases
the effective AP of any cover they might be
occupying by 4.
Open-Air Operations
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Tennanlower Character
Aptitudes: Agility, Defence
Tennanlowe Skyboarder tactics transition
from high-mobility offence to static
defence when they make landfall, and their
combat training emphasises fire evasion and
tactical repositioning in order to maximize
the amount of time they can hold out. A
character with this Talent who is wearing
Armour with a maximum AP value of 3 or
less gains a +10 to all Dodge Tests when
they are not in Cover, and can ignore the
negative effects of rough or difficult terrain
for a number of turns per combat equal to
their Agility Bonus.
Peacekeeper
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Fellowship 35, Maniple 931
Character
Aptitudes: Social, Willpower
Even the lowest-ranking soldiers from
Maniple 931 are used to confrontations and
constant arguments, and many from the
regiment have by necessity become
excellent at conflict resolution. Characters
with this Talent gain a +20 to any
Fellowship-based test used to resolve
arguments, calm down a crowd, or prevent a
fight from breaking out.
Plunging Fire
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Intelligence 40, Ballistic Skill
40
Aptitudes: Intelligence, Perception
Over a long enough distance, even a near-
miss shot can be enough to startle or panic
an enemy. If the shot actually hits, well-
tha
A character with this Talent can fire a near-
miss shot with a non-Blast Quality weapon
Prerequisites: Biggest Booms
Aptitude: Agility
Few Imperial sports are as
underappreciated as the ancient, venerated
game of reflex, precision and judgement
known as calidum tuberculum. Played most
frequently by the young, it requires fast
limits, and superb hand-eye coordination.
Those tuberculum masters who find
themselves in the Imperial Guard can often
put their skills to good use. This character
may spend a Fate Point to attack with a

target must now make a Challenging (+0)

Fear Test. Additionally, the weapon firer
makes a Punishing (-50) Ballistics Test- if it
succeeds, the target also takes damage as
normal. Performing Plunging Fire requires
a Full-Round Action.

Precision Shot
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Crack Shot
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Perception
A good sniper boasts that they can shoot
the wing off a fly at 200 paces. A great
sniper can shoot the good sniper while
This character may
spend a Fate Point to make their next
ranged attack inflict Righteous Fury on a
roll of 6-10. They cannot spend Fate Points
to reroll the attack if it misses. single Thrown weapon as a Free Action.
They cannot attack with any other Thrown
Rapid Toss Weapons on the turn this ability is
Tier: 3 activated.

92

Ranging Fire
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Ballistic Skill 40
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Intelligence
Any good Imperial mortar team knows that
they are not operating in a vacuum- as
spotters feed information to them, they can
field detailed targeting information back to
the spotters, ensuring more accurate fire at
long ranges. When a character with this
Talent makes a successful attack against an
enemy target with a weapon with the
Indirect quality, all of their allies within a
30-meter radius may reroll any missed
ranged attacks against that target until the
end of the character's next turn.
Reaction Fire
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: Agility 30, Perception 30
Aptitudes: Perception, Defence
Quite often, the best way to avoid enemy
fire is to kill the enemy before they can
shoot, though it is hard to make such
spontaneous and instinctual firing very
precise. At the end of their turn, this
character can use their Reaction to enter
Overwatch. They can only fire a number of
Single Shots with their weapon equal to
their Agility Bonus -2 (to a minimum of 1)
during Reaction Fire, and their weapon
cannot inflict Righteous Fury. If at any
point they take damage, fatigue or Insanity
before making their attack, they leave
Overwatch.
Rebellious Pride
Tier: 3
93
Prerequisites: Junker character
Aptitudes: Offence, Willpower
The Nivan Junkers are bitterly, violently
independent, and violent power struggles
are not unknown in their society. When in
combat, they will often wilfully ignore
orders, for their personal pride more than
anything.
Whenever an allied character in earshot fails
a Command, Charm or Intimidate Test,
this character may make a single Attack
Action as a Free Action. This attack cannot
trigger Righteous Fury, and this ability
may only be activated once per round.
Sentinel
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Cool Under Pressure, BS 40
Aptitudes: Defence, Finesse
The most legendary defenders of the
Imperium are those who can stand on the
ramparts, picking off oncoming enemies
with coolness and precision as fire rains
down around them. Once per round, when
this character makes a successful Full-Auto
or Semi-Auto attack in Overwatch, they
increase their number of hits by 1, to the
they make a successful Single Attack, they
can immediately land a second hit provided
their weapon has sufficient ammunition.
These additional attacks cannot trigger
Righteous Fury.
Shadowstep
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Evasive
Aptitudes: Agility, Defence
Prolonged study in optics and the
mechanics of human and xenos vision teach
good at locating immobile targets, or
targets that do not move in regular ways-
taking advantage of this can make one that
much harder to hit. Enemies receive a -20
penalty to hit this character with Overwatch
attacks.
Shockproof
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Toughness 35, Junker
Character
Aptitudes: Defence, Tech
The Nivan Junkers are used to combat
conditions that are often incredibly hostile
to the continued functioning of machinery,
especially the cybernetics so many of them
bear. Their heavy use of machine-
disrupting weaponry also brings with it
risks of collateral damage, so they have
developed a wide variety of minor
modifications and coping strategies to keep
themselves safe even in the midst of the
heaviest storms of scrambling radiation. A
character with this Talent gains a +20 to
resist the effects of damage with the
Shocking Quality, and reduces any roll on
the Haywire Table that effects them, their
cybernetics or their equipment, including
any vehicle they are currently operating, by
2.
94
Shredder
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: BS 40
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Offence
Even the finest piece of armour is not
invincible, and prolonged impacts, or even
just a lucky shot, can cause structural
weaknesses in armour. This character can
spend a Fate Point to make all of their
attacks during a combat reduce enemy AP.
Any successful attack they make
permanently the
hit location by an amount equal to one half
Bonus, rounded up.
Snap Shot
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Lightning Reflexes, AG 40
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Agility
Though many Imperial Guard regiments
field dedicated sniper teams, there is also a
tactical role for more squad-level
sharpshooters, who use less-precise aimed
fire to take out high-value enemy targets.
Rapid operation of a single-shot weapon is
key to this concept. This character can
choose to make two Single Attack actions
in one turn with a Basic or Pistol weapon
that has no Semi-Automatic or Automatic
fire rate. These attacks receive a -10 penalty
to hit and the Inaccurate quality.
Streltsy of Old
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Ballistic Skill 40, Weapon
Training (Low-Tech), Katyushan
Character
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Leadership
Those Katyushan soldiers who choose to
specialize in symbolic and antique Streltsy
weapons are themselves referred to as
Streltsy, but those among them who
distinguish themselves in battle earn the
title Streltsy of Old. These brave warriors
are symbol of the military and
technological strength of Katyush, and
they can turn the tide of many a battle.
A Character with this Talent treats all
Streltsy weapons as if they were Battle
Standards as well, with the resultant stat
bonus stacking with the stat bonus from the
weapon themselves. Additionally, they add
one half their Ballistic Skill Bonus, rounded
95
Sudden Strike
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Weapon Skill 35, Quick Draw
Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Finesse
Many different philosophies of melee
combat emphasize the first strike- landing
the first blow against an enemy before they
can react can turn the tide of a duel before
it even starts. This character has taken that
idea to heart- their first successful melee
attack each combat deals +3 damage.
Tizherin
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: Stealth, Katyushan Character
Aptitudes: Fieldcraft, Agility
Katyushan parents scare their
children straight with stories of
the Tizherin, a massive snake that
lurks in crevasses in the ice to
snatch up children who wander
out of the safety of their tunnels
alone. In military parlance, the
same refers to those Advance
Spotters and other reconnaissance
troops who have become adept at
moving unseen in snow and ice. A
character with this Talent gains a
+10 to any Stealth test while in
snow or icy conditions.
Trench Defender
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Trench Dweller,
Trench Veteran
Aptitudes: Fieldcraft, Defence
Even the most well-protected
trench is inevitably invaded, and
the most well-prepared veterans
are those who ready themselves
for combat within their own
defensive lines. By setting booby traps and
concealed enfilade firing points, even
mighty enemies can be delayed and turned
back.
Characters with this Talent gain a +10 to
any and all Ballistic and Weapons Skill tests
within their own trench line. Additionally,
all enemies within the trench treat it as
Difficult Terrain, even if they would
otherwise ignore terrain of that type.
Trench Dweller
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: None
Aptitudes: Fieldcraft, Defence
Even a modicum of experience and prep-
work can turn a poor defensive position
into a secure one. The addition of grenade
trenches, proper sandbagging and
duckboards mean the difference between
life and death. With an uninterrupted hour
of work, this character can improve a pre-
existing defensive position; while within the
confines of this position, they gain a +10 to
Dodge tests against Blast weapons and
increase the AP value of all Cover in the
area by 1.
Trench Raider
Tier: 1
Prerequisites: Agility 35
Aptitudes: Fieldcraft, Offense
When a conflict turns from mobility to the
slow, grinding attrition of trench warfare,
new tactics are called for. Trench raiders are
a sign of such tactics, light and mobile
troops who can break into enemy defenses
and wreak havoc against defenders
unprepared for a close assault.
A character with this Talent never treats
trenches or fortified positions as Difficult
Terrain.
96
Trench Veteran
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Trench Dweller
Aptitudes: Fieldcraft, Defence
Experienced trench fighters know the value
of their own prepared positions, and can
keep their cool even under blistering fire.
Once per day, a character with this Talent
can choose to reroll any one failed
Willpower or Intelligence-based test while
in their prepared trench. Further, all cover
in their prepared trench increases by an
additional 2 AP.
Trick Archery
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Perception 40 or Strength 40,
Arbalist or Yeoman
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Finesse
One of the great advantages of a bow
weapon to a skilled user is the relatively
slow speed and high weight of the
projectile, as well as the mechanical
simplicity of the weapon itself. With a good
eye and a bit of creativity, these weapons
can accomplish remarkable trick shots.
Once per Turn, as a Reaction, a character
with this Talent may test Perception. If
they succeed, their next attack with a bow
or crossbow weapon gains their choice of
one of the following special abilities:
• Multi-Arrow: The attack deals regular
damage to the target, and half damage
to one other target immediately
adjacent to the first.
• Banking Shot: The attack ignores the
 • Rebound Shot: The attack gains Indirect
(1) and may be made as a Half Action
instead of a Full Action.
• Leaping Shot: The attack takes a -10
penalty to hit. The character moves up
to 2 meters in any direction as part of
the Attack Action, and enemies take a -
10 penalty to hit the character until the
start of their next turn.
Unarmed Style
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Strength 40 or Agility 40,
Unarmed Warrior
Aptitudes: Strength, Finesse
There exist few planets in the Imperium
which do not possess some form of local
martial art or fighting style to allow an
unarmed combatant to survive in combat.
Though martial arts such as these are of
debatable use on the battlefield, they can
be lifesavers in close quarters or when one's
back is to the wall. Upon purchasing this
Talent, a character can choose one of the
following effects to apply to their unarmed
melee attacks.
• Barking Toad Style Kung Fu: Uses
explosive palm strikes. Unarmed
attacks gain Concussive (0).
• Wolf's Fang Style: Tears at the foe with
hooked fingers. Unarmed attacks gain
Crippling (1).
• Katyushan Bludka Tunnel Fighting:
Wobbles past defences. Unarmed
attacks gain Flexible.
• Edelweiss Savatte: Hit the enemy until it
dies. Unarmed attacks gain Felling (1).
• Imperial Hyperjudo: Kick ass for the
Emperor. Unarmed attacks gain
Sanctified and Snare (1).
• Fist of the Red Star: You are already
deleted. Unarmed attacks gain
Shocking.
97
• Void Spin: Disrupt the enemy's divine
ratios. Unarmed attacks gain Proven (5).
• Temperus Maximus' Rage Kata:
FUUUUU-. Unarmed attacks gain
Tearing and Unwieldy.
• The Mentor's Path: Turn your wisdom
against them. Unarmed called attacks
suffer no penalty.
• Psyker's Crusher: IT'S NO USE.
Unarmed attacks gain Force.
• Aquilean Sambo: Simple, straightforward
and brutal. Unarmed attacks gain +2
damage.
This Talent can be purchased multiple
times, choosing a different Style each time.
Unconventional Leadership
Tier: 3
Prerequisites: Air of Authority, Strength 50
or Willpower 50 or Intelligence 50 (see
below)
Aptitudes: Leadership, General
The Tactica Imperialis says that not all
leaders inspire their followers through
charisma alone. Some lead from the front,
urging their allies on with acts of might.
Some treat their troops as pieces on a
Regicide board, moving them with careful
planning. Yet more lead from among their
men, suffering the same privations as their
followers but enduring through sheer will.
A character with this Talent can choose to
use either their Strength, Willpower or
Intelligence instead of their Fellowship for
the purposes of Command Tests. The
decision of which Characteristic can be
substituted this way is made upon taking
the Talent and is permanent, and the
Talent can only be taken once. As an added
bonus, characters gain a secondary ability
depending on which Characteristic they
chose:
Strength: Once per combat, upon defeating
an enemy in melee combat, this character
can use the Command skill to Inspire their
allies at a +10 bonus as a Free Action.
Willpower: Once per combat, when using
the Terrify use of the Command skill, this
character can Inspire any allies who
successfully overcame their fear, rolling at a
+10 bonus as a Free Action.
oldest weapons, and while it is not
necessarily the most effective on the
battlefield, it makes for a superb hunting or
assassination tool.
Any bow (but not crossbow)-type weapon
wielded by a character with this Talent
gains the Infiltrator quality and increases its
Range by 30m.

Intelligence: Once per combat, after a

successful Scholastic or Forbidden Lore
test, this character can Inspire their allies at
a +10 bonus as a Free Action.

Weapon Training (Blackpowder)

Tier: 1
Prerequisites: -
Aptitudes: General, Finesse
This talent functions as a new specialization
for the Weapon Training Talent, allowing
training in the use of Blackpowder Melee,
Pistol, Basic, Heavy and Vehicle Weapons.

Yeoman
Tier: 2
Prerequisites: Ballistic Skill 35, Strength 35,
Weapon Training (Low-Tech)
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Strength

98
New Orders
The following Orders are not considered
Generic Orders as in the core rulebook, and
some require the Veteran Comrade talent as
a prerequisite.
Blind Volley
Type: Order (Full Action)
Order: Basic
Prerequisites: Ballistic Skill 25
Aptitudes: Ballistic Skill, Defence
Effects: While suppressing fire is common in
the Guard, firing wildly, even with a
weapon not designed for it, can still force
enemies to get their heads down.
The character who issues this Order has
their comrade mag-dump their weapon in
the general direction of the enemy. The
the targets and everything within 1d10 + the
make a Challenging (+0) Pinning Test or be
Pinned for one round. The Comrade must
spend the next round reloading his weapon
as normal.
Coordinate Toss
Type: Order (Half Action)
Order: Veteran
Prerequisites: Tech-Use, Sleight of Hand
Aptitudes: Finesse, Perception
Effects:
an enemy trench? Two, of course.
The next time this character throws a
grenade, their Comrade does so as well,
aiming for roughly the same spot. After
resolving the first grenade attack, resolve a
second attack on a nearby square. Roll on
the Scatter diagram- the second grenade
lands 1d5-2 (to a mininimum of 0) meters
away in that direction. Grenades thrown are
99
Find their Range!
Type: Order (Free Action)
Order: Veteran
Prerequisites: Deadeye Shot, Sharpshooter
Aptitudes: Perception, Ballistic Skill
Effects: A well-trained soldier, especially an
artilleryman or sniper, learns very quickly
how to judge the distance to a target by eye.
This allows a coordinated fireteam to lay
down accurate fire even at very long ranges.
The character making this Order gains a
+20 bonus to shots at Long or Extreme
range on their next ranged attack this turn.
Fix Bayonets!
Type: Sweeping Order (Half Action)
Order: Sweeping
Prerequisite: Double Team
Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Offence
Effects: Long Militarum study has revealed
that the sight of a line of Guardsmen fixing
their bayonets and preparing to charge can
have a devastating effect on the morale of
human enemies.
This Character and his comrade affix
bayonets to their weapon, preparing to
charge in a terrifying manner. The
character making this Order may have any
beyond the first within Cohesion
participate in the Order. As part of this
Order, the character issuing it must make a
Difficult ( 10) Command Test with a +5
bonus for each Comrade participating in
the Order. The Character, and all affected
Comrades, gain Fear (X) until the end of
their next Turn against all Human enemies
they are currently engaged in, where X is
the number of Degrees of Success on the
original Test.
Form Square!
Type: Sweeping Order (Half Action)
Order: Sweeping
Prerequisite: Combat Formation
Aptitudes: Weapon Skill, Defence
Effects: A compact square formation of
bristling bayonets and melee weapons can
provide line infantry with some defence
against charging enemies.
This Character and his comrade(s) tighten
their formation, preparing to fend off an
enemy charge. The character making this
Order may have any number of his (or
Cohesion participate in the Order. As part
of this Order, the character issuing it must
make a Difficult ( 10) Command Test with a
+5 bonus for each Comrade participating in
the Order. The Character, and all affected
Comrades, gain a +10 bonus to Parry Tests
against enemy melee attacks until the end
of their next Turn, with an additional +5
bonus for every two Comrades involved in
the Order.
Strength bonus and re-brace his weapon as
a Half Action. He does not lose the effects
of Bracing on his weapon if he uses a
Reaction to Dodge before the end of his
next turn.
Rousing Chant
Type: Order (Free Action)
Order: Basic
Prerequisites: Fellowship 30,
Aptitudes: General, Social
Effects: Sometimes the memories of home
and the simple comradeship of the camp
can form the greatest bulwark against the
terrors of the enemy.
This character and his comrade burst into
song, or chanting, or some recital of
familiar culture that might inspire their
friends to take heart. The character may
make an Ordinary (+10) Perform Test. If
they succeed, all allies in earshot suffering
from Shock may choose to reroll any failed
Willpower tests to snap out of Shock for
the remainder of the combat.

Type: Order (Full Action)

Order: Basic
Prerequisites: Strength 35
Aptitudes: Strength, Offense
Effects
strongest soldiers are famous for wielding
heavy weapons on their own, a heavy
weapons trooper can move their gun easily
with assistance from an ally and keep it
steadied.
After this Order has been issued, if their
Comrade is in Cohesion, this character can
move a number of meters equal to his

100
New Combat Actions
The following combat actions are intended
to supplement those already present in the
Only War core rulebook, and can be
utilized by any character equipped with the
right gear or weaponry.
Battle Song
Type: Half Action
Subtype: Concentration, Miscellaneous
Music on the battlefield can both inspire
allies and demoralize enemies, often at the
same time.
The character must make a Challenging
(+0) Perform Test. All allies in earshot who
are not Deafened gain a temporary bonus
to their Willpower and Toughness of +2 for
each Degree of Success on the original test
(minimum +2), for as long as the original
song is sustained.
lock down enemy emplacements so that
they can be dealt with at a later date.
A character equipped with a Flame weapon
that also has the Spray or Blast Quality can
use this Action to set an area of ground
or Blast radius on fire. The area designated
must be within range of their weapon.
That area burns for 2d5 rounds and is
treated as Difficult Terrain until
extinguished. Units moving through the
area must make a Challenging (+0) Agility
Test or catch fire. Using this Action
consumes an amount of fuel equal to half of
weapon uses ammo.

All enemies within earshot who are not

Deafened take a temporary penalty to their
Ballistic Skill and Weapons skill of -1 for
each Degree of Success on the original test
(minimum -1). This song may be sustained
for any number of Rounds, but the
performer cannot communicate normally
while performing it, and it ends if they ever
Dodge. All Battle Song tests by a character
wielding a Regimental Instrument provide
double the bonus/malus, namely +/-4 per
Degree of Success instead of +/- 2.

Scorched Earth
Type: Full Action
Subtype: Attack, Ranged
Flamers are often employed less as assault
weapons than as area-denial tools, used to
restrict the movement of enemy troops or

101
Mount Training
-minded old bastard
- ual physical
-Captain L.H. Godger, Calfian Desert
Patrol Corps
The Rough Riders of the Imperial Guard
are an oft-underappreciated branch of that
venerable institution. Many scoff at the
notion of mounted warfare in the age of
tanks, hover-vehicles and walkers, seeing
than an anachronism.
While it is true that cavalry has a more
limited tactical use on the battlefields of the
41st millennium, the Rough Rider
regiments continue to storm and charge
their way through the ranks of the
talk tough about anachronisms when
several thousand angry horses with equally
angry Guardsmen riding them are
galloping straight for you, after all.
In many mounted regiments, it is the bond
between the rider and their mount, and the
individual character of that mount, that
makes for such a powerful fighting team.
No two riding beasts are exactly alike, and
with proper care and training even humble
farm animals can become terrifying
warriors.
Mount Personalities
The following rules are intended to give
the mounts of cavalry characters as much
character and flexibility as Comrades get-
to make choosing a cavalry regiment give
just as much room for customization and
flexibility as choosing a vehicular one.
102
Upon receiving a new Mount, a player can
choose from four different Personalities
traits and characteristics. The choice of
Personality is permanent for an individual
Mount. If a character wishes to abandon
their Mount and requisition a new one to
change personalities, they should discuss it
with their GM.
Each Personality is divided into a small
upgrade tree with seven Mount Abilities,
each of which has a certain cost in MX, or
Mount Experience. MX is accrued at half
Points; the rider gains 100xp, the Mount
gains 50 MX, for instance. Once a Mount
has enough MX to buy a certain Mount
Ability, they can do so in exactly the same
way as a character would normally purchase
an advance with XP.
If a Mount is killed in combat, MX does
not carry over to a newly acquired Mount.
The rider is free to choose a new
Personality for this new Mount, and begin
earning and spending MX for them.
Training a Mount in-character
The MX system grossly
oversimplifies the process of
training an animal, and players may
wish to incorporate more of a
roleplaying element.
Training a mount in any of its
Personality abilities should take a
number of ingame weeks equal to
The GM might also incorporate
one or several extended Survival
tests, modified by any relevant
skills.
Palfrey
These mounts are not strictly speaking bred
for war. More commonly used for
transportation, they have a smooth, even
gait, and are well-suited for controlled
riding. Palfreys are great jumpers and show
animals, perfect for riding on display.
Delicate Impulse
This mount is light on its feet, and has acquired a
knack for sudden, explosive jumps.
Mount gains the Acrobatics Skill. Rider gains a
+10 bonus to tests to make the Soaring Leap
action.
150 MX
Leaping Courbette
This mount can keep its footing on even unstable
terrain, and can jump with unparalleled skill.
This mount gains the Terrain Master Mount Trait. If it
already has Terrain Master, it increases its Agility by 3.
The mount uses its Agility Bonus instead of its
Strength Bonus for the purposes of calculating
distance and height jumped with the Soaring Leap
action. 200 MX
Springing Capriole
This mount is so mobile and agile that it sometimes
seem as if its feet never touch the ground, and it makes
for a remarkably slippery target.
This Mount provides a +20 bonus to Sidestep actions.
Any time it passes a test to Sidestep, it may freely move
a number of meters equal to half its Agility Bonus. If
the Rider fails a test to Sidestep, they are not thrown
from the saddle. 300 MX
Elegant Step
This mount moves with an even, flowing gait, and
its proud, decorative appearance makes those
who ride it appear all the more noble and refined.
Increase this Mount's Agility characteristic by 5.
Its Rider gains a +5 bonus to Charm and
Command skill tests while mounted.
100 MX
Relaxed Confidence
This Mount has learned a certain degree of focus,
an understanding of the maneuvres that its rider
requires of it.
This Mount gains the Bred for War Mount Trait.
If it already has Bred for War, it increases its
Agility by 3.
150 MX
Swirling Mezair
Rearing backwards, this Mount swipes at its foes
with speed and considerable balance.
This Mount's melee attacks gain Flexible. Its
Rider may spend a Fate Point to grant all of their
melee attacks while mounted the Flexible quality
until the end of combat.
200 MX
Symbol of Elegance
This mount's carriage and gait are breathtaking, even to those
who know little about such things. Riding it inspires awe and
respect in all around.
Increase this Mount's Agility characteristic by 5. Its rider
gains a further +5 bonus to Charm and Command Tests while
mounted, and can reroll failed Charm and Command Tests
while mounted, though they must take the second result if it is
worse.
300 MX
103
Courser
These light war mounts are bred and built
for speed and agility. They can cover
ground with great rapidity, and are steady
enough on their feet to allow their rider to
fire ranged weapons from their backs. Off
the battlefield, they often find employment
in races.
Nose for Speed
This Mount is naturally fast-moving, and can
read the terrain ahead of it with ease.
This Mount gains the Sprint Talent. If it
already had Sprint, it increases its Perception
by 3.
150 MX
Arrow's Flight
Moving with incredible speed, this Mount has
developed a talent for powerful acceleration.
This Mount gains Unnatural Agility (1), or
increases the value of that Trait by 1 if it already
had it.
200 MX
Spirit of Swiftness
This Mount has become even faster, rivalling racing
beasts and even motor vehicles for speed and power.
On any turn in which this Mount makes an action with
the Movement Subtype, it imposes a -10 penalty on all
Ballistic and Weapon Skill Tests to hit it or its rider
until the start of its next turn. This effect stacks with
any other abilities that impose such penalties.
300 MX
Swift Runner
This mount has a keen eye for the world around it, and
seems to derive great joy from running with all of its
strength. A rider who can tame such a creature must
possess great physical capacity.
Increase this Mount's Perception characteristic by 5. Its
Rider gains a +5 bonus to Athletics and Dodge skill
tests while mounted.
100 MX
Joy of the Chase
Though this Mount is not necessarily aggressive,
it has a steady head in times of danger and can be
trusted on the attack.
This Mount gains another rank in the the
Awareness Skill. Its Rider gains a +10 bonus to
Strike and Fade Actions.
150 MX
Eat the Horizon
This Mount has developped considerable
stamina, and can run for lengths of time that
would kill lesser beasts.
This Mount gains the Enduring Mount Trait. If
it already had Enduring, increase its Toughness
by 3.
200 MX
Lord Among Beasts
A perfect physical specimen of its species, this Mount is in
prime condition and can survive incredibly inhospitable
conditions.
This Mount can still move while Crippled, though its Agility
bonus is halved for the purposes of calculating movement and
it imposes a -20 penalty on all Survival tests to ride it. It gains
Unnatural Agility (1), or increases the value of that trait by 1 if
it already had it.
300 MX
104
Rouncey
The humble Rouncey is an all-purpose
Mount, bred more for loyalty and ease of
training than anything else. Though their
physical prowess may not be the most
impressive, they tend to be naturally
intelligent, and can be taught all kinds of
useful tricks.
Cheeky Blighter
This Mount's uncanny cleverness and character
have helped it succeed and thrive in unexpected
ways.
This Mount gains the Combat Formation Talent
and the Sleight of Hand Skill. It may attempt to
steal small items it believes can aid its Rider.
150 MX
Problem Solver
This Mount sometimes demonstrates near-human
levels of intelligence, and can be relied on to perform
simple tasks with ease.
This Mount gains the Logic Skill and increases its
Intelligence by 3. It can reliably follow simple
commands like carrying messages to specific people,
moving objects, or solving simple puzzles.
200 MX
Embodiment of Cleverness
This Mount has developed a rapport with its
Rider that allow the two to work together as a
perfect team. This Mount's Rider gains a +5
bonus to all Survival Tests to control it, and can
reroll failed Scrutiny and Awareness Tests while
mounted, though they must take the second
result if it is worse.
300 MX
Clever Devil
This mount is uncommonly intelligent, and
occasionally seems to possess a wit or understanding
that is almost human. Riding such an animal requires
one to keep up with its cleverness.
Increase this Mount's Intelligence characteristic by 5.
Its Rider gains a +5 bonus to Awareness and Scrutiny
tests while mounted.
100 MX
Man's Best Friend
This Mount has developed affection and trust for
its rider, and will remain at their side come hell or
high water.
This Mount gains the Loyal Mount Trait. If it
already has it, increase its Intelligence by 3.
150 MX
Loyal Companion
The bond between this Mount and its Rider is
truly a wonder to behold.
On any turn in which this Mount's rider takes
damage, the Mount may take the damage instead.
In addition, the Rider gains a +5 bonus to
Willpower Tests while Mounted.
200 MX
Courage Without Ferocity
A truly remarkable beast, this Mount is willing to
ride to certain doom to keep its Rider safe.
This Mount gains a single Fate Point.
300 MX
105
Destrier
The largest and most physically imposing
of Mounts, the Destrier is bred for power
Warlike Gait
Filled with a lust for combat, this Mount can be relied
on to trample all those that stand in its way.
This Mount gains the Frenzy talent. If it already had
it, it instead increases its Strength by 3.
150 MX
Thunderous Hooves
When its ire is up, this Mount shakes the ground with
its fury, scattering its enemies.
This Mount increases its Strength by 2, and gains the
Irritable Mount Trait. If it already had Irritable, it
loses all the negative effects of that trair.
200 MX
Unyielding Warrior
This Mount is a colossus of combat, and can make even
seasoned warriors quail.
When this Mount is Frenzied, it gains Fear (1) and
increases its Strength by 5. Its Rider gains a +5 to all
Fear Tests while mounted, and ignores the negative
effects of any levels of Fatigue when their Mount is
Frenzied.
300 MX
and aggressiveness. They are fearless and
prone to violence, well-suited for charges
and heavy cavalry work.
Unyielding Mass
This mount stands steady as a rock, gripping the earth
with the confidence borne of physical power. To tame
it, one must be able to equal this raw, animalistic
energy.
Increase this Mount's Strength characteristic by 3, and
its Toughness by 2. Its Rider gains a +5 to Intimidate
and Interrogation Tests while mounted.
100 MX
Stone Crusher
This Mount is a brawny, muscular creature, capable of
lashing out with great strength.
This Mount's natural melee weapons gain Tearing and
increase their Damage by 2. Its natural ranged
weapons, if it has them, increase their damage by 5.
150 MX
Directed Madness
This Mount works itself into a great fury when in a
fight, but this anger is focused, hardened like a shield.
This Mount reduces all Critical Damage table rolls by
1, to a minimum of 0.
200 MX
Titanic Charge
When it has built up enough momentum, this Mount is
utterly unstoppable, bowling through its obstacles as if
they were nothing.
This Mount increases its Toughness by 5, and gains
Natural Armour (3), or increases the value of its
Natural Armour by 3 if it already had it.
300 MX
106
-Konigstein

Looking to expand your Warhammer 40k RPG experience even further? Want to drown your
players in like eight different homebrew PDFs by me? Well look no further!

POTENTIAM GIGANTIO
This four- four volumes of vehicle stats.
The entire Imperial non-Titan motor pool, plus the entire Eldar, Dark Eldar, Harlequin and
Ork motor pools, plus a ton of homebrew.
Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4

IMPERIAL ATOMICA
When the entire galaxy is full of Grim Darkness, sometimes the only light source is gamma
radiation. This book introduces expands on radiation, atomic weapons and nuclear power in
the 41st Millenium, adding a variety of character and item options for both editions of Dark
Heresy, Rogue Trader and Only War.
Imperial Atomica 1.2

MILITARUM AIR-MOBILE CHIRURGICAL HOSPICES (MACH)

When your character burns a fate point to end up in hospital, who exactly fixes them? How do
you go about extracting Splinter Rifle bolts from a wound? What is a gallglabber, and why
does it need removing? All these questions and more are answered in MACH, a book about the

MACH 1.1

THE HERETICAL MUSEUM OF V.A. BEAU

Deep in the heart of the Koronus Expanse, an Inquisitorial investigation team have taken
possession of the massive private armoury of V.A. Beau, noted cultural degenerate and Rogue

Stand Battle in Rogue Trader? This book is for you. Ganbatte!

The Heretical Museum of V.A. Beau 0.4

107